Once Upon a Sundae
by Sadistic Shadow
Summary: Kagome, Sango and Hojo all work in Shikon Shoppe, the new ice cream parlor in town. It all starts with their obnoxious manager-in-disguise and an age-old question, proving all the while that even the sweetest of things can be bitter.
1. When Uniforms Become a Fashion Statement

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inu-Yasha & Friends while I merely own the merchandise (and the idea for this story). I'm sure you can tell the difference ^_^...

"Hiraikotsu!" a stern voice interrupted the girl's thoughts. Sango sighed. It was the last period of the day and she was ready to go. The teacher was just giving the same old boring lecture she gave everyday, so what was the big deal if she zoned out a little?

"Hai?" her response was wary. As she _had_ been given the same lecture all year long, she would surely be able to answer any question thrown at her, but that still did not put her suspicions to rest. After all, teachers were vicious little things, and they tended to pick on their students for the most bizarre things. The fact that they usually did not approve if their student's took a more active interest in sports than academics did not raise their status in her eyes.

"See me after class," the reproving tone came. Sango exchanged glances with her best friend, Higurashi Kagome. Said girl had recently landed the both of them jobs at the new ice cream parlor. While Kagome had been working there for several weeks already, this would be Sango's first day, and it would _not_ make her look good if she showed up late. First impressions were everything, right?

"Yes, ma'am," Sango nodded, casting her gaze downward in what she hoped looked like shame. Hey; just because teacher's _expected_ you to feel bad when you stepped out of line didn't really mean you had to...As long as you at least looked sorry, that is. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Sango, of course, had to remain in her seat and wait til all the other students had shoved their way out the door. Curse Yura-sensei. Out of all the teachers, she seemed to enjoy student punishment the most. And if you implied you had somewhere to go, she kept you longer. 

Kagome, the last to leave the classroom, gave Sango a sad, apologetic little smile. Sango found herself nervous after receiving that look, and she slowly turned to face the front of the classroom once again. She repressed a shudder at seeing Yura-sensei's gloating smile of pure evil. 

Sango emerged from the classroom about ten minutes later. One thing and one thing only would be forever imprinted in her mind. Paying attention to Yura-sensei's oh-so-exciting lectures was a _good_ thing. She didn't believe she'd be forgetting that for a long time to come.

In any case, Sango was just thankful that the teacher did not keep her _too_ long. They should still be able to make it with time to spare. Kagome, it seemed, was all ready, for she and her backpack were waiting patiently near her locker. Sango smiled, pleased that her friend waited for her, before quickly gathering her own things. Just because they had time to spare did not mean she could dilly-dally. 

Since the ice cream parlor was relatively close to the school they could just ride their bikes directly there without having to stop at their houses. This was mighty convenient, seeing how they were pressed for time already. 

It wasn't long before the freestanding parlor loomed over the two. Sango glanced up, briefly eyeing the sign, which read: Shikon Shoppe. Kagome opened the door, and as the two girls stepped in, a little bell tinkled.

A young man poked his head around the corner. "Hello, Kagome. Who's your friend? Can I interest the two of you in some ice cream, or perhaps some fresh sherbet?" 

"No thanks, Hojo-kun," Kagome smiled warmly at him. "This is Hiraikotsu Sango. Remember, I told you she would be starting here today?"

Hojo's expression pinched in thought, before lighting up. "Oh, now I remember! Well, welcome to the crew!"

"Err, thanks, I guess," she blinked, taken aback by his overzealous nature.

Kagome led her friend to the back room, looking through one of the bins for the bag with Sango's uniform in it. "Hojo-kun _is_ as a little much sometimes," she laughed, noticing her friend's expression.

"He sure seemed...peppy," Sango said weakly, for lack of better term.

"Aha!" Kagome triumphantly snatched the bag with Sango's initials on it, thrusting it into the other girl's arms. "Here's your uniform...The employee bathroom is right over there, so you can change...Let's see..." her face scrunched in thought, as she tried to think of anything else that Sango might not have already been briefed on. "Oh! And these things right here are lockers...The keys are right over there..."

"Ok," Sango nodded, understanding. "But who's going to change first?"

"Why don't you change first, Sango-chan?" Kagome suggested. "That way you could get started with Hojo while I get ready? After you get the hang of it, we can just alternate days or something," she shrugged.

"That sounds fine..." Sango trailed off, looking down at the bag in her hands. "So I guess I'll go get ready..." she walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. In a few minutes she emerged, wearing business-like black pants, a tucked in white blouse, and a forest green apron with the parlor's logo on it. "At least it doesn't look hokey..." she murmured.

"Not yet, at least..." Kagome chuckled ominously, ceremoniously holding out a matching green visor with a few pins on it. Needless to say, Sango groaned. 

A/N: This idea has been creeping around in my twisted little head for a few months now, so I finally decided to get it to leave me the hell alone by putting it on err, cyber paper. The main pairing will be Miroku/Sango, with supporting Inu-Yasha/Kagome, Sesshoumaru/Kikyou, and maybe just a hint of Kohaku/Rin. Poor Shippou-chan. How come he never gets paired up with anybody?! 

Anyway...I've got quite a few interesting little plot developments in my head, so you'll just have to keep reading, now won't you? I should hope that updates for this story will come quicker than the updates for some of my past stories, since it is, in my opinion, a newer and easier style of writing. In any case, this is my third Inu-Yasha fanfic, second posted. I apologize for the character's speech being a little funky, but as this is the first chapter and I still need to get my footing, please bare with me for another few chapters at least. I promise you I'll get in sync soon enough.

Please Review!


	2. I Want Strawberry, Damn It!

It was several hours later, and needless to say, Sango was ready to call it quits for the day. Both Kagome and Hojo had instructed her well, and a few customers trickled in for her to practice on, and while it hadn't exactly been boring...Oh hell, who was she kidding. Her feet hurt like the devil and she was extremely tired of wearing that ridiculous uniform. Ok, so it wasn't _ridiculous_. In fact, it was kind of cute...Not like she'd admit that, anyway. But that wasn't the point! The point was that it was almost time to close up shop and she was ready to go home for a nice soak in the tub. 

But it really didn't seem fate was on Sango's side that day. For two young men entered the shop. The first was wearing red nylon jogging pants and a white muscle shirt. His long locks of silver were tucked beneath a red beanie. The other was wearing black jeans and a _very_ dark purple t-shirt. His ebon hair was pulled back into a small ponytail. While Sango didn't really consider purple a 'manly' color, it didn't look too shabby on him.

By then they had made it to the counter, so she dropped that train of thought and politely smiled, greeting them, "Welcome to Shikon Shoppe! What can I get for you two today?"

The silver-haired man looked like he was going to open his mouth to order, but his dark-haired companion interrupted him before he had a chance to speak. "What flavor do _you_ like?" he asked keenly. Sango blinked. "I myself prefer chocolate," he added, looking almost smug.

"...Err..." Sango looked unsure of herself, and she glanced over at her shoulder at Kagome. Hojo was conspicuously absent. Kagome shrugged, and Sango turned back to the man. "I suppose I like vanilla," she admitted. "It's light, and you can put just about any topping you want on it...Chocolate's much too rich for me,"

The man, if possible, looked smugger than before. "_But,_" he seemed determined to keep the conversation up. "That's the whole point of chocolate, you see. Oh-so-rich, tantalizingly sensual..." he eyed her body up and down, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

Sango gritted her teeth. _It figured_. Her first day and she was expected to deal with a pervert. She'd like to step out from behind the counter and floor him right then and there, but she really couldn't risk losing her job so soon. _The customer is always right, the customer is always right!_ She chanted. "Well, that's _your_ opinion, _sir_, and I'm _sure_ it's just as valid as _mine_,"

"You know what's even better, though?" he continued, completely ignoring her attempt for closure on the subject matter. "_When you mix the two together_..." he sported a goofy grin, and his tone was impish. Sango was now highly suspicious of his motives, to say the least. 

"Is that what you want, then?" she nearly hissed, remembering to hold on to her temper at the last moment. The last thing she needed to be fired for was for exploding on a customer. _Even if he was implying some really rude things_. "A twist?"

"I'll have a-" again, the silver-haired man was cut off by his companion.

"What kind of toppings do you have?" 

Sango said nothing, still trying to keep her temper in check. Instead, she motioned to a row of toppings in little containers, all neatly labeled and lined up so the customers could see them.

"I don't suppose you have cookie dough?" he asked, even though the container was right there in front of him. 

"Yes, _sir_, we do have cookie dough," her voice was now a little dangerous. If that man asked one more question, she didn't know how long her sanity would last. Maybe this wasn't the right job for her after all.

"I love cookie dough," the man 'harassing' Sango stated quite happily. "Don't you?" 

"Yes, _sir_, I like cookie dough," she growled. _Why wasn't Kagome helping her out, here?_

Said girl had gone off looking for Hojo for help, but this unfortunately, left Sango alone with the customer. "Seems like your friend left you," the man noted. 

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Nevermind the fact that Sango disliked camels and believed straw to be itchy. She was fed up with this punk, and he was soon going to find out just _how _irritated she was. 

She stormed from behind the counter, eyes flashing dangerously. She grabbed ahold of the lecher by the collar and his friend by the back of his shirt. She marched them both over to the front door, _kicked_ it open, _threw_ them out, and shouted, "And don't you _dare_ come back!" before slamming the door shut behind them. 

"_But I want my strawberry ice-cream_!" one of them screeched, presumably the hentai's companion. 

__

Really, the nerve of some people, she steamed, dusting her hands off. It was then that Kagome re-emerged with Hojo. "Oh!" Kagome blinked, looking surprised. "I guess you already got rid of them...Good job!"

Sango nearly sweatdropped, recalling just _how_ she got rid of them, but decided not to inform her two co-workers of that. It would be bad enough if the boys returned to complain to her manager. "Yes, good job," she muttered to herself. 

Hojo peaked out the window. "They're still here! And they're not eating anything, either!" he assumed they had purchased something. "They look happy!" he completely misread the silver-haired man's angry expression. Also misreading the frantic gestures towards Shikon Shoppe, he added, "Maybe they'll come back for more!"

"Isn't it about time to close?" Sango asked, more anxious than before, for obvious reasons. 

"Err, yah..." Kagome nodded vigorously, agreeing with her friend's less-than-happy tone. After all, she had witnessed the man's perversions first hand. She didn't want them coming back either. _His friend wasn't too bad looking, though_, she silently laughed. "Sango...you ready to go?" she turned to ask, but then sweatdropped, seeing her friend was already _way_ ahead of her. 

A/N: Eew, I didn't really like this chapter. It was kinda, I dunno, icky. Sure, the beginning was all right, but it all kind of spiraled downwards from there. Then again, what do I know? I really rather liked the first chapter and it only got one review. Oh well, hopefully I'll get more, even if they all consist of people complaining about how bad this chapter was...The only thing good about this probably was that it was a quick update, even though the content wasn't really something to look forward to...Eh...

Please Review!


	3. Lifestyles of the Rich and Peppy

It was almost midnight and Sango was still awake. Not that twelve was truly _late_, especially with the next day being Saturday, but she usually went to bed pretty early, and her first day of work had been emotionally exhausting. So she had expected to fall asleep shortly after retiring to her room for the evening. 

However, she was instead stretched out on her bed, idly thumbing the track button on her walkman. Sure, she had a large stereo, but she rather liked to entertain the thought that she was listening to music no one else could hear. 

The cd she was currently playing was burned, meaning it offered a variety of different titles, organized like so, creating a stunning assembly. Sango had what some might consider a _curious_ taste in music. Not only did she like soundtracks, techno, and j-music, but also she equally enjoyed older and more 'classic' songs. 

Right now, however, she was waiting for the next song to start playing. The cd should be dog-eared by now, she smirked, for she played it every chance she got. She knew every track by heart, and loved the songs dearly, but she couldn't help feeling oddly apprehensive. 

When the peppy, up-beat music began to play, and a woman's voice began to croon, Sango blanched. So _that_ was why: 'Manga Maniac'. A very cool, very sing-able song, albeit one that implied all together suggestive, erotic, and disturbing meanings, but a very good song nonetheless. 

In fact, if it didn't remind Sango so much of that pervert from earlier, she would be thoroughly enjoying it. Quickly switching tracks, she decided that however much she liked it, she wouldn't be playing it for a _long_ time to come.

She mellowed considerably when one of her favorite songs came on, 'Raven', by Do As Infinity. The instrumentals were superb, and the vocals stirred deep thoughts from her otherwise fried mind. She found herself repeatedly pressing the 'previous track' button on her walkman until her mother came in to find her asleep on the bed. 

The cd had stopped playing, for the batteries had died out, but that was just as well, for had Sango been awake, she would have noted that she wouldn't wish for such beautiful music to play for those not able to enjoy it's sentiments. 

Mayhap, however, she would have taken back her musings if she had known that the last song that played was a rousing chorus of 'Manga Maniac'. 

So there Sango slept, in her patented Strawberry Shortcake pj's, until the morning light streaming through the window signaled her body to awaken. And so she did, swearing when she heard the telltale crunch of her walkman beneath her body. Oh, and the fact that her ears hurt like hell from those blasted plugs being crammed in all night, did not tempt her to sport a cheery outlook this new day. After last time, she _swore_ she'd never fall asleep with them in again!

So, like the true grouch she was in the morning, she passed her dresser-top mirror with a scowl that would make old Oscar proud. She had to work today too, but not til later, thank God. 

So, she trudged downstairs with a not-too-positive but not-too-negative look, attire consisting of her more dressy black flares and a dark purple turtleneck. It may be approaching summer, but this girl could bare long pants in almost any weather, which greatly helped the fact that she almost refused to wear shorts.

She didn't like to eat breakfast, though she made herself useful by fixing her younger brother Kohaku some cereal, leaving out only the milk, for she didn't want everything to sog by the time he woke up. 

Her mother had apparently already gone to work, so that left Sango stumped and money-less. Kagome had promised to take her little brother Souta to the park, so that crossed her off the list. Ayame had needed new clothes and had left for the mall bright and early. Her boyfriend Kuranosuke was stuck at home cleaning house all day, but his parents were home so it would be a boring visit if she headed over. All of her other friends were busy too, damn it! 

Oh well. She could always pop in some anime in their new dvd player. Sango might be popular at school, but that didn't mean she couldn't indulge in a little 'geek-culture', now did it? Kohaku had gotten her into it a few years ago. 

Her favorite series was Love Hina; she quite enjoyed seeing the Hinata Sou crew beat the crap out of Keitaro everytime he put a foot out of line, though she would admit they took it too far sometimes, and would almost admit to feeling sorry for the poor oaf.

So after wandering aimlessly around the house looking for her perfect collection box set, she popped in the Christmas Special and positioned herself by the couch and near the phone, in case anyone decided they _weren't_ busy and wanted to give her a call. 

But alas, the escapades of the hapless ronin and friends played through without interruption, and Sango found herself frowning. Kohaku had awoken and eaten breakfast before leaving to meet his own friends around halfway through the movie. It was Saturday, and come one, when your middle school brother had better things to do than you did on the weekend that was pretty sad. 

Before she could retrieve the case for the dvd she had been watching, the phone _did_ ring, much to her delight. She literally pounced on it, barely containing her excitement. Hell, even if it was a telemarketer...! "Moshi-moshi?" 

"Hey, San-chan," Kuranosuke's pleasant voice greeted her. "What's up?"

"Osuke-kun!" she exclaimed. "I'm just being bored but...I thought you had to help around the house today?"

"I did," Kuranosuke replied with a chuckle. "I finished them as fast as I could so I could do something with you, but first I have some _great_ news!"

Kuranosuke was a nice boy, if a little bit on the possessive side. He came from a well-to-do family and lived in a cozy little manner on the other side of town. In fact, it was at his home where he had met Sango; she had been giving his family lessons in hand-to-hand martial arts. They had been going steady ever since.

He also happened to attend Goshinboku Academy, a private facility near his neighborhood. Little did Sango know, his news would concern the prestigious school. "Oh?" was all she could reply. She added, teasing, "What news is so important you couldn't have waited to tell me, Osuke-kun?"

"Goshinboku's getting ready to re-model. Half of the students are being transferred to Shikon High School for the remainder of the school year while the other half are going to go to Sengoku Jidai Middle School!"

__

Shikon High, Shikon High...Sango's eyes widened. _She_ went to Shikon High! "You mean you could be coming here?"

"Yup!" Kuranosuke audibly 'grinned'. 

Sango's eyes sparkled happily. She could deal with a hundred perverts after this! "When do you find out who's going where?" she asked anxiously.

"See," Kuranosuke sighed. "That's the problem; we don't know til that very morning,"

"That sucks," Sango grumbled. Upon looking at the clock, she all-out groaned. "Osuke-kun, I have to go to work...Good luck!"

"Ja ne, San-chan,"

She hung up and did a little dance as she went searching for her things. It seemed fate pitied her after what happened yesterday. 

A/N: In Keitaro Urashima (Love Hina)'s defense: I feel for the poor dear; he's such a sweetie, but most all he gets for his troubles are beatings. Sango being the prude she is, does not believe in his accidents though she witnesses them all first hand, and therefore has the opposite belief as me on this matter. Oh, and if you haven't noticed, Sango is a bit of a narcissist and pessimist. I would like to note that besides the occasional hangout session with my friends, my Saturdays consist of the usual all-day internet sessions unless I'm 'forced' to spend time with my family. I love being a loner. 

I'm taking a page out of Greywolf's book, and in the future I may include a few more music-type scenes, and even a 'surprise', permanent character (a total canon character seen in a totally different light, heh) to soothe my irritation over a particular rant during the first chapter. Believe me, I've already got a few songs lined up for some very appropriate 'moments' between one of our favorite couples. 

If you, by some otherworldly chance, are reading this Greywolf, please forgive me for taking the err, 'permanent guest' idea, as I have so dubbed it. I nearly fell out of my chair when I first started seeing those Kikyou/Sesshoumaru hints in your story too, lol. In any case, if you _aren't_ Greywolf, go read his fantastic yet sadly so-far unfinished story, 'Let the Music Be Your Master'. 

And while you're at it, download E-Rotic's 'Manga Maniac'. Kick ass song, lemme' tell you, and if you consider the words carefully enough, funny in a bizarre way. Oh, and if you have heard this song before, I err, don't really believe Miroku would engage in the hinted activity so much as I just think the song is perverted in a cool/funny way, just like the houshi himself. Keh, download Raven, too. Your Empress commands thee! (Inside joke, lol, sorry.)

Thank you to my few but loyal reviewers. Shadow Wraith, you have absolutely _no_ idea how horrible this is all going to turn out for Sango. Kukuku...Ok, so maybe you do, but...yah ....

****

Updated, as of Tuesday, August 5, 2003:

Well, upon my own dissatisfaction over the original third chapter and reviews to back up my own negative opinion of it, I re-did the chapter. The first half of it remains the same, but from the phone conversation on, it has changed. Originally, I didn't plan for Kuranosuke (canon character from episode seventy-eight) to make his appearance as Sango's boyfriend til later on, but not only did I realize that it would conflict with future plans but it would also be odd if Sango didn't mention him at least once before then. So here he is. I know Kuranosuke's sweet but he does seem a tad possessive, and that's good, because I need that for the song I have planned to pop in here. There will be a few more scenes in their school because of this new plot development, and yes, more favorite characters will make an appearance, I assure you. Oh, and lastly, I'm also going to fix the first few paragraphs of chapter four to make sense. 

Please Review!


	4. Maybe She Should Give Her 2 Weeks Notice

She ought to be handed an award. She, Hiraikotsu Sango, had just blown off almost an entire Saturday, to lounge around and watch anime. Sure, none of her friends seemed to be available, but that shouldn't have prevented her from finding something more constructive to do. Anime, bless its heart, was not the ultimate fun factor. 

But now it was too late to be cursing her choice in activities, for it was time to grab her things and head over to her afternoon job at the local ice cream parlor, Shikon Shoppe. Joy. She was thrilled, if you couldn't tell. 

After locating the little plastic bag in which she kept her neatly folded uniform and snatching a set of house keys from the pencil jar in the kitchen, she wandered out back so she could wheel her bicycle out front and be on her way. She was the epitome of modern transportation, she thought sarcastically. She _so_ needed a car. 

Around a good fifteen minutes later, she had made it on time. She noticed the absence of Kagome's bike, and prayed to God her friend would get back from the park with her brother Souta in time to come to work. Hojo was very nice, but Sango most certainly did _not_ want to face the working world alone after yesterday.

Yesterday. Heh. Yesterday had been a complete and utter disaster on levels she did not even wish to speak of. Some stupid lecher and his crony had come in, and unfortunately, Sango had become their target. Whether she had first gotten pissed at his crude innuendo or constant chattering or that ever-present goofy grin, she did not know. What she did know, however, was that the two boys soon found their asses on the front doorstep. It may have been her first day, but Sango was a low-tolerance kind of girl. Prudish and proud, so to speak.

And so she found herself entering the ice cream parlor alone. Hojo was clearly here, for she had spotted his car in the parking lot. Kagome had pointed it out to her the other day on their way home. Where exactly he was in the parlor, she was not quite sure. She observed that Kagome had been correct when said girl warned her about his unusual disappearances. He just faded from sight sometimes...How had Kagome put it? Ah, yes, like the Cheshire Cat. 

Shrugging, she let herself behind the counter and into the employee break room. The first thing she did was change into her outfit. Black pants more on the formal side, a white blouse, a forest green apron sporting the shop's logo and a matching cap with a few promotion pins clipped on. 

The next thing she did was get herself a locker to store her regular clothes and purse in. Removing a quarter from her wallet, she dropped it into the slot, pulling down on the release. She deposited her things and pocketed the key to the locker. She would get her quarter upon return. 

She arrived back out in the main area in time to see Hojo prepping the ice cream and toppings. Moments later, a breathless Kagome entered the building. "Sorry!" Kagome panted. "Souta insisted on staying later than we should have and I kind of lost track of time,"

Hojo's eyes crinkled merrily. "It's ok, Kagome-chan. I'm just glad you made it. Are you feeling all right? You should get some water when you catch your breath," he motioned to the bottled spring water. "My treat,"

Kagome smiled gratefully, for she did not particularly care for the effectively dubbed 'toilet water' from the drinking fountain. "Thank you, Hojo-kun," she said once she caught her breath, taking one of the bottles he offered, popping the lid, guzzling it quickly. "Oh, hey, Sango-chan! I didn't see you,"

Sango smiled at her friend. "Judging from your timing, I take it that you and Souta enjoyed yourselves?" she had heard her explanation of why she was late, but Kagome had been talking to Hojo, so it would just be better if she inquired first hand.

"Yah," Kagome grinned, stepping behind the counter. "The dork can be pretty fun to hang out with sometimes," she admitted. 

Sango laughed. "I know what you mean; Kohaku can be really cool when he wants to be," she called to Kagome, who had headed back to change. She turned to Hojo, and in an attempt to strike a conversation and get to know him better, she asked curiously, "So, do you have any siblings, Hojo-kun?"

"Nope," he shook his head sadly. Though he continued, his expression quite wistful, "But I've always wanted a sister,"

"That's too bad," Sango smiled sadly. She looked up when Kagome came back out. Her nervousness had subsided the moment she had engaged in conversation with her friend, and she was actually raring to go. After all, it's not like that stupid lecher would dare show his face again, especially the very next day after their interesting little incident. "Ready to do some serious scooping?"

Sometime later, after doing a fair amount of business, Sango noticed her bike had fallen over. "There's a rack behind the building," Hojo noted, glancing at her upon hearing her sigh. "Even if you don't have a lock, it's probably better to keep it there,"

Sango nodded, and with both Hojo and Kagome's permission, went to relocate her bicycle. When she came back in, she noticed one of the strange men from the other day. Her temper started to flare, but she realized it was just the one who had apparently only came for strawberry ice cream. "Where's your friend?" she asked sarcastically as she walked by, since Hojo and Kagome were in the freezer, getting a few more gallons of a particular flavor.

Of course, to Sango's immediate dismay, he popped out from behind the counter. "You rang?" he chuckled, sporting that same irritating grin.

"Stalker!" she seethed. "What are _you_ doing here?" it hadn't really registered yet that he was wearing a uniform similar to hers and that he _had_ been behind the counter. It quickly dawned on her though. "Oh...my...God...You work here?!"

"Nah," his response confused but relieved her at the same time. Before she could regain her fury to ask why the hell he had been behind the counter then, he added, almost as an afterthought, "I own the place!" 

A/N: Two consecutive chapters written in an hour. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Of course, you all wouldn't know this, since I'll be posting this the day or so after I posted chapter three. 

I rather liked this chapter, as opposed to the last two. It flowed infinitely better, and seemed a lot more 'in-character' to me. Probably because there was more direct character interaction. I noticed in the chapter where Sango was alone or had a majority of the lines, the chapter was poor quality. Strange. Oh, and I know I've mentioned a lot of this stuff before, like what their uniforms look like, but it was a recap.

In any case, I bet you didn't see this coming, or did you, lol? Poor Sango. Will she just out and out have a heart attack right there? Keh, wouldn't you like the know? Review and maybe I'll tell you in the next chapter :D...Updates on this little fic are coming a lot sooner than I expected. 

Please Review!


	5. Mr Sensitivity

He _owned_ the place! _He_ owned _it_! It was just too much for poor Sango's mind to comprehend. "Y-you're l-lying!" she sputtered.

"You're right," her hopes rose with that, despite the fact that he was still grinning confidently. But, with his next words they were dashed to a thousand tiny pieces, like a spilled jar of sprinkles. "I _do_ work here sometimes," he admitted. "But I still own the place,"

Sango turned to Kagome for help, as if thinking the other girl could wake her up from this horrible nightmare. But Kagome only shrugged and averted her gaze to Hojo, who had come back from the bathroom (the two girls had finally approached Hojo and asked where he disappeared to all the time; it was because a bladder problem, he had said). 

"Oh! Hello, Miroku-san!" Hojo happily greeted the said man. "You're here early today,"

Sango openly gaped. That confirmed it all right. The lecher _hadn't_ been lying. He was indeed their manager. She turned to face him, now filled with dread. As much as she wanted to quit right now, she _needed_ this job. Badly, at that.

Then she remembered just what had happened the other day. And she paled. "Uh...Um, about yesterday," she began weakly. 

In a moment of seriousness, she supposed, he flashed her a genuine grin, "Nothing doing," and for a moment she actually felt quite comfortable in his presence. Then he ruined it with a suggestive wink. 

She silently fumed at that, but did not take action. After all, even the tiniest amount of unchecked retaliation could cost her the job. Prudence aside, it _had_ only been a wink.

"Anyway," their manager continued. "For those who don't know, I'm Houshi Miroku. And he," he motioned to the silver-haired man, "Is Senshi Inu-Yasha. He doesn't work here, but sometimes he comes with me to hang out and get free ice cream..." 

"I'm Higurashi Kagome," the other girl happily introduced herself.

"Hiraikotsu Sango," she said simply, absently noting that this 'Inu-Yasha' had glanced up momentarily when Kagome had been speaking.

Miroku clapped his hands together. "Now that we're done with introductions," he signaled to Hojo, and Sango also noted that one of his hands was wrapped in cloth to match his uniform. He wore a white shirt and black pants like his employees, but his apron and cap were purple. Remembering what he had on the other day, she decided he had a thing for the color.

Hojo got to work at once, with Kagome and Sango following his lead. It wasn't long before they had their first customer of the day, though who it was rather surprised both Inu-Yasha and Miroku.

He somewhat looked like Inu-Yasha, with his long silver hair and amber eyes, but the resemblance stopped there. The man was much taller and more refined, with a darker side to him, whereas Inu-Yasha was a tad rough around the edges and easy to read. Additionally, their taste in clothes were different and this other man had a crescent moon tattooed on his left shoulder. A short and stubby fellow whom Sango recognized as Youkai Jaken from school also accompanied him. 

"Sesshoumaru," Inu-Yasha coldly greeted him. Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru were on quite good terms but a recent fight had driven a wedge between them.

"Little brother," Sesshoumaru acknowledged him. _That_ explained the looks, Sango thought.

"What brings you here, Sesshoumaru?" Miroku interrupted, in order to sever the building tension.

Sesshoumaru quirked a brow, turning to Miroku. "Ice cream, of course. Kikyou has the bug, I'm afraid...I thought some ice cream would soothe her throat and lift her spirits,"

Both Kagome and Sango were taken aback by his sensitivity. He had struck them as the cold and uncaring type, to tell the truth.

"Alright," Miroku looked amused, though he cast a worried glance at Inu-Yasha. "What can I get for you, then?"

"...A strawberry cone and a medium cup of chocolate chip cookie dough," Sesshoumaru answered after momentarily glancing at the menu. Sango suppressed a snicker; it seemed the whole family was overly fond of strawberry. 

Miroku nodded at the three of them and they got to work at once. Hojo packed strawberry ice cream neatly into a cone that Kagome held while Sango rolled chocolate chips and chunks of cookie dough into a few scoops of vanilla ice cream before proceeding to load it into a bowl.

Sesshoumaru thanked them and paid before leaving. Inu-Yasha also left right after that. It was Kagome, whoever, who voiced the question they were all thinking. "What's up with him?"

Miroku shrugged. "Eh, he's just got a bug up his butt because Sesshoumaru has been going out with Kikyou for awhile now and they're pretty serious about it. He's had a crush on her for ages, that's why,"

"That sucks," Kagome frowned, tilting her head to the side.

"Tell me about it," Miroku sighed. "I'm the one who has to listen to him gripe and groan about it twenty-four-seven,"

A/N: I've been on restriction, so I couldn't post! But don't worry, to make up for the lack of chapters recently, I have several pretty good ideas planned and a few already written future chapters. I've re-written the second half of the third chapter so it will be much more relevant to the plot line, and in turn edited the first part of the fourth chapter so it will make sense when compared with the third chapter. This fic was originally planned to be very light-hearted and fluffy, but I've changed my mind. Sesshoumaru/Kikyou's relationship and Kagome/Inu-Yasha's relationship still will be, but Miroku/Sango will be a bit dark, drawn out and _very_ angst-ridden. You have been warned, WAFF lovers. I promise though, when we get to the goods, there will be plenty of fluff. Short chapter, but it's only a teaser for good things to come. Expect more info on the Sesshoumaru/Kikyou bit in the upcoming chapter.

Please Review!


	6. Flavors of the Past

The room was dark and dreary, the air hanging heavy with sickness. Sesshoumaru quietly crept forth over the threshold, gingerly setting the goods down on a mirrored dresser made of cherry oak. Upon spying the lumpy figure cloaked by the bed covers, a small, saddened smile overtook his lips. 

Striding over to the curtains, he threw them back and opened the window, thus allowing the mood of the room to change drastically. The sunlight warmed the previously cold air and the occasional chirp from a rogue bird that made it's home in the enormous oak cheered the silence. 

With absurd amount of gentleness, he cautiously peeled back the covers, revealing the sleeping form of the ill Higurashi Kikyou. Carefully, he laid a heavy hand on her forehead, drawing back looking relieved, for her temperature was down considerably. 

At his touch, her eyelids slowly fluttered open, revealing mahogany pools. Her expression brightened immensely as she broke out into a flattered smile. "Sesshoumaru," she spoke his name, as if it were very dear to her, which indeed, it was. "What a pleasant surprise," 

The usually stoic man looked quite sheepish at this. His hands folded behind his back and he looked away politely. "Your sister let me in,"

Nodding in understanding, she patted the chair near her bedside. Sit?" she inquired, quirking a brow.

He returned the nod, making sure to grab the bag off her dresser before sitting down. "I brought you some ice cream," he rumbled. "You complained of a sore throat, did you not?" 

She took the package her offered to her and momentarily glanced at it. "Chocolate chip cookie dough?" her smile, if possible, widened. "My favorite,"

Again, the flustered expression returned. "You mentioned it before," he modestly noted. 

She chuckled slightly. "And this?" she lavishly motioned around the room. "Some new incense for me to burn," she eyed the rest of the bag's contents, "And some fresh air and sunshine? You spoil me,"

The familiar and all-together arrogant smirk made its presence known at her praise. "Nothing less for you," he replied coolly, before his voice took on a guilty tone. "Besides; it _was_ me who suggested staying the extra couple of hours to watch the moon rise,"

Sesshoumaru's house was not far from a nature reserve; a piece of heaven in the midst of the polluted suburban jungle. Bordering on the edge of the reserve was a particularly grassy hill overlooking a large flower field. Oftentimes Sesshoumaru brought Kikyou and his little sister, Rin, here on picnics and day-trips, for the two females immensely enjoyed the beauty of it all. 

"No," she shook her head, unknowingly mimicking his earlier sad smile. "I had already been coming down with something,"

"Then I just made it worse!" Sesshoumaru fretfully insisted. "...Forgive me," 

She laughed, before beginning to eat the ice cream he had been so kind enough to bring for her. "How are your studies going?" she asked, in an effort to break him from the self-loathing mode he was preparing to launch himself into. While Sesshoumaru may seem cold and haughty, he was prone to bouts of depression. 

He brightened considerably. "Good," he nearly chirped. "My latest progress report scores have given me nothing but satisfaction. If things keep up until the last report card, I'll be home free,"

She paused mid-bite to look at him. "That is excellent, Sesshoumaru!" 

"Really?" he sounded anxious. "I'm worried that I won't be able to keep them that stable for the remainder of the semester,"

"You'll do fine!" she sighed, rolling her eyes. 

He took the hint and slowly began to calm himself down. "Better than you?" he finally inquired, a bit of a sly-edge creeping into his voice. 

"Maybe not _that_ good," she snickered, finishing up the ice cream. Placing the empty cup and spoon on the nightstand, she laid back on her pillow. "Remember how we got together?" she asked dreamily. 

"Could I forget?" he retorted impishly, eliciting yet another sweet smile from Kikyou. 

__

In truth, they had acknowledged each other's presence since the fourth grade. This tolerance turned into a bitter rivalry throughout the years, however, when both began to rise steadily on the academic ladder, matching one another pace for pace. 

She always mocked him in front of her friends, he always made her the butt of his not-so-nice jokes. Sadly, this continued well into their high school years. Til one fated day, when one of their teachers did what no other had dared to: assigned them to work together on the same project...as partners.

Oh, how they tried to get out of it. Offering to do double the work if only they could trade teammates with some other classmate. But the teacher had insisted that it would be good for them, so there they had sat on Kikyou's front porch, arguing heatedly over something or another. 

It was at the same time that they had both paused to recollect their breath, and a strange glint began making itself known in Sesshoumaru's eye. As Kikyou began to open her mouth to rekindle the debate, he had silenced her with a swift kiss. 

After a few moments, she had pulled away, wide-eyed and every bit as breathless as she had been before. Composing herself rather quickly, she had managed to sputter, "...Sesshoumaru...?"

He had shrugged, closing his textbook, hastily shoving it in his bag along with the rest of his possessions that he had brought over. Standing, he had dusted himself off, glancing bemusedly down the side of his hooked nose at her. "I must go," he had said simply, taking a step down.

"W-wait!" she remembered crying out for all she was worth. "W-why...?" she had asked weakly, when he'd paused to look over his shoulder at her. 

"Because I love you," he had shrugged, ghosting off into the late afternoon before she could utter another strangled word. 

Poor Kikyou had tossed and turned that night. For in truth, she had been harboring feelings for the aristocratic-like silver-haired man for several months now. Was he just playing with her? Toying around so that when heartbreak came, her scores would plunge? Or was he...telling the truth?

She had taken a gamble and confessed to him the next day at school. To her delight, he whole-heartedly accepted her, and they had been together for the last three years. Over that course of time, Kikyou had become extremely confident of their love, not doubting it for a single second, and Sesshoumaru was much the same. In their first year of college, they required a lot of emotional support, and were happy to find it in each other.

"How's Inu-Yasha doing?" Kikyou asked lazily, rolling over.

Sesshoumaru stiffened, and thankfully, Kikyou could not see him. The unknowing girl had no idea of Inu-Yasha's large crush on her, a thing that _both_ Senshi brothers had made sure of. While he knew that Kikyou in no way reciprocated the younger sibling's affections, the elder man could not help but feel a tiny pang of jealousy. "...Fine," he muttered. 

Kikyou tilted her head to the side best she could. "More fights?" she sounded highly sympathetic, for she knew how close the Senshi brothers had formerly been.

"I suppose," he purposefully did not meet her gaze. 

She leaned over and lightly clasped his hand, wishing to offer him some comfort without the risk of contaminating him further. "Band troubles, or what?"

"Yeah, it's the band," he lied. Sesshoumaru managed Inu-Yasha's band even now, but due to all the conflict, practices had been far and few. 

Kikyou, understanding that he didn't really want to talk, just nodded and squeezed his hand. "It'll all turn out alright, I'm sure," she gave him the best smile she could manage. 

He nodded, and glanced at the clock. "It's six o' clock already," he observed.

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. Would you like for me to bring you some dinner?"

"Sure," her eyes twinkled at his thoughtfulness. "If it's not too much of a bother, that is,"

He flashed her a truly genuine smile. "Of course it isn't. Same place?"

She tried to keep a straight face, but ended up laughing in the end. "Same place," she agreed. 

"Same thing?" this time he was grinning impishly.

"Same thing," she nodded the affirmative, another chuckle escaping her lips. "Oh, and Sesshoumaru?"

"Hrm?" he turned to look at her on the way out the door.

"Would you be a dear and light some of that lovely incense you brought for me before you go? I'd like to be able to smell my food when I get back," she referred to her stuffy nose.

"Sure thing," 

A/N: Wow. I could have sworn I only wrote half a page. Guess I was more motivated to write this chapter than I first believed. And don't even go whining that I favor Kikyou/Sesshoumaru xD...The chapter was longer than most because they are already in a relationship, buying them extra time for a flashback.

I've grown to trust my audience, but just as a warning: I know Sesshoumaru particularly and perhaps Kikyou seem OOC in this chapter. Being in love can do that sort of thing to you. But I guarantee that except in these little mush-mush scenes, things will be a lot better. 

Thanks for waiting somewhat patiently for this update. I'm sure many of you might know that I just started my first year of high school about a week ago. I have plenty of other stories to finish, but I promise that I'll see this fic to the end eventually, no matter what.

For the curious: This may seem like shameless self-advertising, but hey. Why can't I? Anyway, if you enjoy, or are intrigued by the Kikyou/Sesshoumaru pairing, you might want to keep an eye on my other fic, A Midsummer Night's Dream. They are the primary couple in that fic, though there is going to be plenty of Sango/Miroku and Inu-Yasha/Kagome to entice the rest of you out there.

Oh, by the way, Kaede is a little girl in this. I'm tired of always seeing her as the old hag, damn it! She got robbed of a happy childhood, too, you know. Don't you think she deserves a fic where she's young now and again? 

Please Review! 


	7. Second Semester and All That Jazz

Monday came all together too soon for Sango's tastes. She had barely got to spend any time with Kuranosuke at all. Of all the unjust things! But those thoughts were _before_ she remembered she might just be seeing an awful lot of him soon, for today was the day when students from Goshinboku Academy would start to arrive. While no one was sure who was going to Shikon High and who was going to Sengoku Jidai Middle School, Sango opted to remain hopeful. 

So, thoroughly excited, she hopped on her bicycle, speeding off towards school, for once actually eager for class to start. It would be after first period that they would know who went where, and Sango's class was going to be hosting D-H. Coincidentally, Daimyo Kuranosuke fell under that category. 

It was indeed a wonderful moment when she caught sight of his lean figure casually strolling through the door an hour or so later. It was a horrific moment when just seconds later she spotted a particular, lecherous young man following closely in his wake. She swore under her breath. That's right, he was _Houshi_ Miroku! 

She had been waving Kuranosuke over to the seat she had saved for this occasion when manager and employee momentarily locked gazes. He presumptuously assumed her gestures had been meant for him and he hurried to her side, bowling over Kuranosuke and making himself comfortable in the seat meant for said man. 

He ignored Kuranosuke's disgruntled expression and Sango's sharp glare, merely shooting her a disarming smile. "What a coincidence," taking extra care to flash his pearly white's as he rested his chin in his palm, tilting his head to face her. 

"Hello, Houshi-sama," she growled. 

Upon hearing Kuranosuke inhale sharply from his seat behind them, Miroku's grin, if possible, widened. He turned around, as if noticing the other man's presence for the first time. "Oh, hello there, Kuranosuke-kun!" he greeted his distant neighbor happily, as if nothing in the world were the matter. 

"Hello," Sango's boyfriend gritted his teeth. "You _do_ know that Sango wanted _me_ to sit there, right?"

"She did?" Miroku feigned wide-eyed innocence. "I'm so sorry!" and he promptly turned back to Sango, ignoring Kuranosuke's further protests for now. 

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Sango fought the urge to rub her temples. "I thought you were in college or something,"

"Nah," Miroku grinned boyishly, though he ruined it with one of his patented winks. "Do I really look that mature?" 

"Will you just leave my _girlfriend_ alone, for God's sake, Miroku?" Kuranosuke asked irritably. 

"Hmm," he mock pondered. "How about...no? Sango-chan here's one of my faithful employees, aren't you, dear?" 

She rolled her eyes, but tolerated his presence, for he had not attempted anything perverted yet. And with Miroku, any time that you could spend around him without perversion was a _very_ good thing. And Sango knew how to take advantage of good things. "Unfortunately, yes,"

"You work for this creep?" Kuranosuke snorted. "I told you you'd be much better off to just keep working for me,"

"...I run a respectable business," Miroku stated, quite seriously, taking Sango more than a bit aback. Before she or Kuranosuke could think up more insults and witty comebacks, however, Yura-sensei strolled rather casually into the room. 

"Welcome, students! First off I'd like to take the time to welcome all you visitors to Shikon High School on behalf of our staff," she began, in her overly peppy voice that just absolutely _grated_ on Sango's nerves when she wasn't doing a study lecture. Her after-school encounter with the teacher the Friday didn't help any. 

"Good morning," a few disheartened murmurs rose from the sea of students, mostly coming from those who actually attended the school on a regular basis and knew Yura's policies. 

Her deceptively sweet tone lashed out at all those who had not returned her greeting. "I don't pretend that I know how you do such things at your own school, but here at Shikon High, and in this classroom particularly, you politely respond to all your instructors greetings and inquiries,"

"Good morning, Yura-sensei," the response was considerably louder than before, accepted only when the short-haired woman set her lips into a thin line and rapped her knuckles three times on the desk.

"Ok, now listen up! I'll be assigning all of my own pupils a Goshinboku Academy student to take around to their classes. From now until the end of the school year, those will be your classes unless a special request is made via the guidance counselors. And until your _new found friends_ learn their way around the school, you will accompany them everywhere they go. Do you understand?" 

"Yes, Yura-sensei," her students droned.

"And as for you new lot, don't go wandering off by yourself for the first week or so. I don't want to find any of you in Tardy Sweep,"

"Yes, Yura-sensei," a few disheartened grumbles made their way to the front of the room.

Yura frowned primly, shaking her head. "Pathetic! It'll do for today, though, I suppose. Now sit tight while I find the sheet with your partner assignments on it,"

Sango and Kuranosuke simultaneously passed one another gloomy looks, though they could not help but feel a bit hopeful. After all, stranger things had happened.

Yura smiled in triumph, holding up the paper in question. Rather happily, she read off the very first pair, "Hiraikotsu Sango and Houshi Miroku," 

Sango swallowed the knot that had since formed in her throat. _Oh yes, stranger things indeed_...

A/N: Eew, this chapter was hard to write after the Miroku/Sango/Kuranosuke confrontation scene, so my apologies if it was a bit dry. I hope things will speed up in the next few chapters. Oh, and if you're wondering how come Miroku was so, well, _rude_ to Kuranosuke, and vice versa now that I think about it, it's this: They have been 'neighbors' for most of their lives and attended the same school for most of their lives; they know each other quite well, and frankly, despise one another. There you go. In any case, I promise I'll get a chapter of better quality up soon. 

****

Reader Responses:

Roganu-chan: Thanks for the review. I can see what you're coming from, but in truth, the only thing that Kikyou asked him for the whole time was to light the incense before he left. He brought that incense and ice cream without her prior knowledge, and he offered to bring her dinner. But really, I do understand what you're saying, and I'll try to fix it in later chapters if the issue should come up again, but really, as you'll find out the circumstances later, with Kikyou out of the running, Kaede has a hard time doing things herself.

Akikaze no Uta: Thank you for the lovely review, my dear. While I've heard of it, I've never actually seen Kare Kano, so I didn't know that this Yukino person had similar circumstances (no pun intended). I suppose I over-dramatized my expectations for angst (again, no pun intended), as it _will_ still be fluffy. I guess what I had been trying to say was that when it gets closer to the time for them to get together, it'll be more than a bit angst-y, due to outside complications (i.e. Kuranosuke). And while they may seem to be complete opposites, we all subconsciously know that both fluff and angst truly go hand-in-hand. 

Please Review! 


	8. The Schedule From Hell

There was a lot of excited chatter floating around the school, and of course the rumor mills were working full time. Most people had actually gotten paired up with someone they liked, or at least tolerated. It didn't help that the new semester brought new projects in nearly all of her classes. Oh: and the fact that the teacher's thought it both practical and 'cute' to pair the students up with their already established partners didn't help either. 

In English they had been assigned a random novel. They were to both read the book by a certain date, after which they were required to write a collaborative essay and make a three-tiered display board. This would require a lot of outside time, Sango realized, suddenly feeling quite sick to her stomach. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of her dismay. 

In their math class, they were paired up for the Fantasy Baseball unit. Both would have to cooperate to construct the perfect team and play against other teams. While this one wasn't too bad, it still grated on Sango's nerves. Of all the rotten luck.

In Theatre they were Improv partners for that day. And they were also assigned a long-term project of producing and performing a skit. With a pre-chosen theme, of course. What fun was it in the greater scheme of things- making her life miserable- if the students actually got to choose? Of course, their theme _had_ to be something romantic. 

Science, their last period before the much-needed lunch-break, turned out to be the absolute worst. They had just ended their section on genetics. To start the new semester off, them and their...you guessed it! The students and their partners would be pairing off, boy-girl. Killing two birds with one stone, they would find out their 'baby's' traits and 'take care' of it for the remainder of the year. Miroku and Sango were now proud parents! 

When the bell rang, signaling the single utopia in the school day, Miroku slipped off into the crowd, much to Sango's surprise and relief. In the A-La-Carte line, she hooked up with both Ayame and Kuranosuke. The trio paid for their pizza, curly fries and soft drinks, hastily scanning the cafeteria for any sign of Kagome. 

They spotted her sitting at one of the uppermost tables, on the left side. She was positioned so her back was to the rest of the student body, which Sango found quite odd, for usually, her friend preferred to sit _facing_ them all. 

Ayame chose her seat right across from Kagome, and in turn Sango plopped down next to Ayame, leaving the only vacant spot, next to Kagome, for Kuranosuke. In the end, all pleased with these seating arrangements made an unspoken pact that was not to be broken for the remainder of the year. 

"How were your classes?" Kuranosuke asked sweetly, aiming his question at all three of the girls, a charming smile on his face.

Sango's face sunk. "Horrible," she mumbled. 

Kagome sighed, and had much the same reaction. "Awful," she agreed. 

Ayame blinked. "Eh...Wonderful?" she timidly offered. 

Kuranosuke frowned. "Okay, we have two who hated it, one who loved it, and myself, who is rather impartial. You got me: hook, line, and sinker. What was so bad, or good, in your case, Aya-chan, about your day?" 

Kagome sighed irritably. "Well, first off, I'm stuck with this jerk, Inu-Yasha..."

"Inu-Yasha..." Sango repeated. "Wasn't he that one guy...Sesshoumaru's younger brother?"

"Oh, yeah..." Kagome looked thoughtful. "Miroku's friend?"

"Miroku..." Sango growled. "Speaking of creeps, he's my partner in an array of lovely activities,"

Kuranosuke's expression darkened, but he said nothing, merely allowing the girls to continue. 

"So, what was so great about your day, Ayame?" Kagome inquired, curious. Her spirits had been somewhat lifted. 

"My partner!" the girl nearly squealed, dreamy expression upon her face. "He's ever so nice and handsome!"

"Oy! Kagome!" a loud voice called from across the cafeteria. The entire table swiveled their heads to look, though said girl's was ducked.

"Oh, hello, Ookami-san," Kagome sullenly greeted the offender, who was now standing next to their table.

"How's my woman doing?" he grinned wolfishly, trying to appear disarming.

Ayame's eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets with all the ogling they were doing. At the man's statement, however, they flashed in pain, turning to bitterly lock onto Kagome. 

"Oh, I'm doing fine," Kagome answered weakly. "How about yourself?"

"I'm doing alright," he nodded, tone mellow. "Oh, and hey- called me Kouga, okay, babe?" 

"Okay..."

"Hey, mind if I join you guys?"

Sango looked him up and down, scowling. She did _not_ like this man's attitude towards women. "I'm afraid there real isn't enough room, Kouga, was it?" she smiled sweetly.

He looked disappointed, but running his hands through his hair, he shrugged. "Fine, whatever then. Catch ya'll later, then," he paused, before adding, "See ya', doll face,"

Ayame snorted, picking disinterestedly at her food. _Later, he'd said_...

Both Sango and Kagome looked worriedly at their friend, each making a mental note to inquire about her well being later. She wasn't looking too happy. 

A/N: Hey, all! Sorry for the recent lack of updates, but what can I say? I've been kind of busy, after all. Anyway, as repentance for my wicked deeds, both this chapter _and_ another have been posted simultaneously. At the time of reading, if the next chapter is not showing up, try replacing the '8' in this chapter's url with a '9'. Should work. 

Anyway, I just got one of the brand-new Nokia cell phones, so I'm happy. It looks really cool. The bad news is that I'm sick. So yeah, I'm stuck here at home instead of school. Bummer. Actually, I am kind of mad that I have to stay home, because of the crappy P.E. and Theatre make-up reports I'll have to do. Grr. But other than that, I'm enjoying my day off! The second three-day weekend in a row, lol. Though last time's was because of the holiday and such. 

Oh, and concerning Sango's schedule, for the curious. I'm giving her my classes for the sake of convenience, but not in the same order. I have Earth Science, Theatre, English, and Spanish before lunch. For Sango's foreign language class, I'm going to give the lucky little woman Japanese. Keh. Thank God, but I am not assigned _any_ of her little projects.

Thanks for all the reviews, guys! For once in my pathetic history as an author, I might just reach my dream! To breech the 100 Review mark...Ahh...

Please Review! 


	9. The Not So Proverbial Can of Whoop Ass

"...'My woman' he says!" Inu-Yasha fumed. "Babe, doll face! Where does this guy get off?!" 

Miroku quirked a brow. "Where do _you_ get off? I thought you 'loved' Kikyou? Anyway, weren't you just bitching to me about how much of a moron Kagome-chan is?"

"Keh!" Inu-Yasha flushed, averting his gaze. "That's different!" he insisted, with a growl.

"How so?" Miroku found himself smirking.

"Oh, hey, lay off him," Kitsu Shippou yawned, taking the last swig of his root beer.

"Cheeky little thing these days, aren't you?" Inu-Yasha glanced over at the mop-haired boy.

"Hey, I just saved your butt!" Shippou hotly defended himself.

Neko Kirara, Shippou's girlfriend of two years, rolled her eyes. "I swear, you guys..." 

Inu-Yasha ignored both her boyfriend and her, turning back to Miroku. "And what about you, huh, playboy? What's going on between you and that Sango chick?"

"Don't change the subject!" Shippou cut in, switching to Miroku's side. 

Inu-Yasha angrily whipped around to face him. "And you, you little punk! Take your earlier advice, and lay off, okay?! It's not my fault she looks like Kikyou!" 

"...So the truth finally comes out," Shippou nodded wisely, further pissing Inu-Yasha off. 

"Anyway," Inu-Yasha once again turned to face Miroku, desperately trying to change the subject, "Now answer the question, eh?"

"...Nothing at all," Miroku calmly stated, staring straight ahead. "She's already got a man. She's just another cheap thrill,"

"Right," Inu-Yasha snorted. "I saw you checking her out,"

"Again," Miroku now looked irritated. "Like I said, nothing but a cheap thrill. Like you would have heard if those big ol' ears of yours weren't so full of wax!"

Inu-Yasha frowned, looking quite indignant, but nervously pulled at his ears nonetheless. "Leave my ears alone!"

Shippou chuckled, but said nothing that might further provoke the silver-haired man. He didn't care to evoke his friend's wrath. Instead,, he changed the subject, much to both Inu-Yasha _and_ Miroku's relief. "Practice tonight?"

Miroku glanced at his watch. "I dunno..." he trailed off, biting his lip. "I _do_ have work, after all..."

"Oh come on!" Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes. "Not like you work _that_ late..."

"True..." Miroku remained frowning. "I suppose I could make it by 7:30..."

"Great!" Shippou grinned. "We're gonna rock! 

"Oh, that's such a childish, wannabe phrase," Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.

"Is not!" Shippou protested. "Since when?"

"Since you said it," Inu-Yasha taunted, laughing when Shippou launched himself at him.

Kirara smiled, for everything was back to normal. As normal as it got, anyway. "Hey, Inu-Yasha?" she looked thoughtful.

"Yeah?" Inu-Yasha paused in his struggle with Shippou to warily glance over.

"I'm...glad," she finally chose the right word, smiling in satisfaction. It had been a long time since he had been so enthusiastic about the band.

"Huh?" Inu-Yasha looked confused, but not for long. His face contorted in pain as Shippou tugged simultaneously at the two locks of hair that hung down and framed his face. "Ow!" his screech was so loud that everyone, including Kagome's table, turned to look at them.

Inu-Yasha's face was soon the color of his shirt: blood red. "I'll kill you, you runt!"

"Don't call Shippou that!" Kagome glared at the offending man, somehow having made it over to their table unnoticed.

Kirara looked mildly surprised, Miroku interested, but Inu-Yasha was clearly dumbfounded. "You _know_ this wench?!" 

Shippou's grin was good-natured. "Yeah. She's my next door neighbor,"

Kagome's frame was quivering angrily as she stared at Inu-Yasha. "You!" she pointed. "What did you just call me?"

"Wench," Inu-Yasha smirked arrogantly. "W-e-n-c-h! Want me to spell it again, for your feeble mind?"

Her anger grew, and she shouted the first thing that came to mind as she launched her attack, "Sit, boy!" Inu-Yasha lay sprawled out on the floor, his face smashed into the ground, thoroughly put out of commission by her beating.

Kagome marched over to her table, dragging Shippou with her, much to Kirara's dismay. The whole darn lot of the student body and their conformist, slovenly asses burst into laughter. Kouga roared the loudest of them all. "That's my woman!" he proudly declared to anyone who would listen. 

Of course, Inu-Yasha picked up on this, and it proceeded to further enrage him, but unfortunately he could do nothing about it, considering the position he was in. 

Shippou cocked his head to the side and stared at the still-fuming Kagome. "Whoah. Sure don't like him, do yah?" 

A/N: Second chapter in one day. Feel appreciated. Maybe I'll have the motivation to write another one, or maybe two. I guess I won't know til I try, huh? 

Please Review! 


	10. Of Bandmates and Handbags

"Of course not!" Kagome snorted. "I've been stuck with that _asshole_ all day, and I'm _not_ going to take any more of his crap!" At this uncharacteristic outburst, everyone at the table openly gaped at her. To which she responded with another snap, "What are you all looking at?"

Sango glanced over at Shippou. Both her and Ayame knew him from her numerous trips over to Kagome's house. "What are you doing hanging out with creeps like them anyway, Shippou?" 

Shippou winced at this. "It's a _long_ and _very_ complicated story," he warned. "But they're actually not too bad at all when you get to know them. Besides, I'm definitely sitting anywhere Kirara is,"

"Kirara?" Sango repeated, looking confused.   


Kagome, however, gasped, eyes wide. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" she nearly wailed.   


"What's wrong, Kagome-chan?" Kuranosuke tilted his head to the side.   


"Kirara..." Kagome slapped her hand to her forehead. "She must think I'm some kind of bimbo..."

"Will someone please tell me what's going on here?" Sango snapped. She didn't really like to play guessing games. 

"Well, you see," Shippou rubbed his hands together. "Kirara is my girlfriend...And she was kind of sitting with me back there..."

"Oh," Sango frowned. "That _could_ be a problem," 

"Uh...Yeah," Ayame sweatdropped. "Hey, could this Kirara possibly be blond-haired, crimson-eyed, wearing an extremely pissed expression and marching over here right now?" 

Kagome paled. "That sounds like a pretty accurate description, Ayame-chan...."  


"Fun, fun," Sango murmured sarcastically under her breath. Ayame became mysteriously engrossed with her chicken sandwich. Kuranosuke suddenly looked very interested with the floor underneath the table. 

Shippou cast nervous glances around the cafeteria, refusing to look at any of them. 

"Oh thanks, guys," Kagome hissed, looking up just in time to flash Kirara a sweet smile. The '_Oh-my-God-I-didn't-know-please-don't-kill-me'_ kind, to be exact. "Hey there! Kirara right? I'm Kagome! Shippou was just telling me _all_ about you! We're neighbors you know..." Kagome promptly quit babbling when Sango kicked her under the table. 

Kirara blinked. "Kagome, was it?"

Kagome nodded vigorously. "Yes, that's me!" she giggled nervously. 

Kirara gave her a strange look, but sat down next to Shippou and extended her hand across the table. "Nice to meet you then, Kagome. Any friend of Shippou's is a friend of mine," 

Visibly relaxing, Kagome took the offered hand, giving it a brief but firm shake. "Nice to meet you too, Kirara,"

Silence descended upon the table for a few awkward moments. "So," Kirara spoke up, pleasantly, attempting to thaw the ice, "Have you told them yet, Shippou?" 

Shippou looked confused. "Told them what?"

Kirara sighed in exasperation. "Your first big break!"

"Oh," Shippou blinked. "That,"

Kirara rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly at him. "Shippou here, is in a band, you see,"

Only Kagome didn't look surprised. "Really?" Ayame squealed. "That's so cool!"

Kuranosuke smiled, bobbing his head. "Agreed. What instrument do you play?"

"Guitar," Shippou cheerfully informed them. "Everyone in our band can play the guitar, but what instrument we play depends on the song, really,"

"How many people are in your band?" Sango curiously inquired. 

"Officially? Three, including me. Unofficially, there are four of us, though. Our 'manager' occasionally jumps on the bandwagon, if he really feels for a song,"

"That's cool," Sango smiled. "I have a fondness for drum-players,"

Shippou smiled mysteriously at that last comment. He had heard from both Inu-Yasha and Miroku about their little run-in at Shikon Shoppe. That comment would come back to bite Sango in the butt...

"So, what exactly is your 'big break'?" Kagome piped up, smiling proudly at her neighbor. 

"Well," Shippou grinned, arm snaking around Kirara's waist, happily pulling her into a loose hug. "Out of at least twenty hopefuls, our band got picked to play at the spring dance," 

"That's so great!" Kagome gushed, giving a little bounce. Sango and Kuranosuke grinned at each other, and Ayame eagerly nodded her head in agreement. "Congratulations!" 

"Thanks," Shippou beamed. "That means a lot to me,"

"Aww," Kagome smirked, reaching over to ruffle his rusty-colored mop of hair. "Getting in some early practice for your award acceptance speech?"

"Hell yes," Shippou returned the smirk.

But their joyful gathering was interrupted much too soon by evil's incarnate: the bell. Well, that 'much too soon' depended on who you asked. Frankly, Sango was dreading going back to class. And who wouldn't, having to tote around that little pervert, who kept closer than her handbag? 

A/N: Long time no update, huh? I was kind of slacking off. Half of this chapter was sitting on my hard drive since the last update, but I didn't know where to take it. From the humongous blob of reviews I recently received however, I decided it was about time for me to work on it. So here it is: the next chapter. Albeit short, but hopefully good. And now time to respond to my wonderful reviewers. 

Xenophile & All Others Concerned: Oh, yes indeed. He _will_ pay for that. 

Katelynn: Thank you so much, oh-dearest-relative-of-friend-who-I-had-no-clue-liked-anime-til-a-few-weeks-ago. Glad I met you. You're one fun chick :D...

Ruby: Well...I hate to say it, friend, but they are only a supporting couple. But fear not, they'll have several more scenes coming up.

Mako: I noticed you brought back the 'o.o'...That's a very good thing! Reading a review from you isn't the same when you forget it xD! 

Everyone Else: Thanks _so_, _so_ much! I am only 21 more reviews away from reaching the goal of my entire writing career! I never thought the day would be drawing so near...::sobs happily::

Please Review! 


	11. Out On the Town

It had been more than a week. More than a week, that is, since student's from Goshinboku Academy, one Houshi Miroku in particular, had arrived to make her life a living hell. She knew he would always be near, for they had the same classes, but by now, pretty much everyone had broken away from their assigned partners and had started meeting people on their own. Miroku still insisted on following her around, and frankly, it was starting to annoy her. Wait...She was past _that_ point by the first day: he was _really_ starting to piss her off. 

Hell, she _knew_ something was wrong if even Kagome and Inu-Yasha had started tolerating each other. She'd thought that would only happen when hell froze over. On the flip side of things, her social life that did not include one particular lecher was doing great. 

In the period of that one, short week, she, Kagome, and Ayame had made close friends with Kirara, Shippou's extremely pretty and nice girlfriend. Said boy had also managed to worm his way quite easily into her and Ayame's hearts, merely needing to strengthen his bond with Kagome and Kirara. 

In fact, since it was both Kagome and Sango's day off of work, the five of them were heading to the movies that afternoon, right when school got out. It was Friday, and Miroku and his family were going upcountry for a three-day-weekend, which explained the girl's day off. In any case, he'd left his car in Shippou's care, not really trusting Inu-Yasha's need for speed. 

So after meeting up right in front of the school, the five of them headed to the student parking lot and piled into Miroku's black Hummer with the leather, gray interior. Shippou, of course, slid into the driver's seat, Kirara into the front passenger seat. The three other girls were glad to take the overly spacious back. 

After adjusting the mirror, rolling down his window, and moving the seat forwards, Shippou turned the keys in the ignition. Eyeing the gas-gauge, Shippou sighed. "We're going to have to make a quick stop for gas, people,"

When he heard no protests, he carefully backed out of the parking lot and sped down the road to the nearest station. Luckily, the prices weren't too gouged, so he wasn't completely out a bank account after filling up the enormous vehicle's tank; maybe just about halfway. "Remind me to _kill_ Houshi, will you?" he muttered through gritted teeth after leaping back into the car. 

The movie theatre was actually pretty far away, but not far enough for any of them to mind. They lived in a pretty old-fashioned town, which while it was comfortable, was not always so convenient. 

It would be a good twenty-five minutes til they reached Bell Road, an extremely long street, in which both sides were crowded with a mall, numerous strip centers and restaurants. You could find pretty much anything you wanted on Bell Road, which more than made up for the drive. 

Easing the car onto the highway, Shippou glanced at the console. Puckering up his lips in thought, he finally shrugged, and when he could afford to take a hand off the wheel, flicked on the radio. Noticing that Miroku had a c.d. in, he switched it to that, figuring it couldn't be _that_ bad. Miroku might be a weirdo, but he had damn good taste in music. 

Shippou was not to be disappointed. Soon that sweet bass was rolling out the window in heavy waves, sweet feminine voice serenading the group with her oddly peppy, oddly disturbing lyrics. Sango, especially, was happy. Thinking she'd found a kindred spirit, she pleasantly inquired, "I never knew you liked Dj Mystik, Shippou?" 

Shippou briefly turned around in his seat to flash Sango a vibrant smile. "I _love_ him! But actually, this is Miroku's c.d., not mine,"

"Oh..." Sango crossed both her arms and legs in a huff, promptly turning to gaze out the window, not catching Shippou's amused chuckle. 

Humming the last few, catchy lines of 'Moonlight Shadow', Shippou began to concentrate more on his driving, albeit beginning to fiercely drum his fingers on the steering wheel when the Dj's remix of Nena's popular anti-war song began to play. Next came the wonderfully catchy 'Hey Raver', and finally, as he pulled into a parking space, Adrima's 'I Can't Stop Raving' came to an explosive finish. "We're here, kiddies!" Shippou grinned crazily, un-doing his seat belt, eagerly leaping out of the vehicle. 

Laughing, the others followed suit, giddily crossing the parking lot to the canopy where they would momentarily have a seat and rest, deciding on what movie to see. After several minutes of heated debate, they finally came to a decision and approached the booth to purchase their tickets. 

The theatre was already crowded, which wasn't a surprise. It was always like this on Friday's: people headed indoors to escape the heat, emerging hours later, hyped up and ready to hit the mall. It was a great for business, that's for sure. Especially since after shopping, most people usually went to grab a bite to eat. 

After standing in line only for a few minutes, the five headed to their appointed theatre, loaded down with popcorn, candy, and drinks. This particular movie theatre had stadium seats, for which all of them were glad. Hurriedly, they climbed up, about halfway, claiming a majority for the most middle row for their own. It was unlikely that anyone would sit too near them, for this movie had been out for some time, and it didn't look like many people were coming to see it in the first place. By the time the previews started playing, there were only ten odd other people there. 

The movie was good; it had lasted about an hour and forty-five minutes. They all emerged from the theatre, chatting excitedly about the events that had just taken place on the big screen. It was already late five-o-clock, and it was starting to get a little dark. 

As they were heading back to the Hummer, Ayame suddenly stopped, looking confused. "What is it?" Shippou asked, quirking a brow, as they all stopped and turned to face her.

"Hey, Sango, where's Kuranosuke?" said girl asked, blinking.

"Did you just now notice he wasn't here?" Kagome questioned, looking wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Ayame sweatdropped. "Sango was so quiet during the movie, so I kind of just shrugged it off as her sucking face with him, or something!"

"Ayame!" Sango, bright red, looking utterly appalled, exclaimed, shocked. Ayame had always been the...naive one. 

Everyone but Shippou giggled insanely at her reaction. Shippou smiled knowingly, but was gentlemanly enough to turn away so Sango would not see. "Don't act shy, now," Kagome rolled her eyes. "We're all grown up now! We _know_ what happens when two people love each other," 

Sango's eyes, if possible, further enlarged. "Kagome!" she hissed. "Will you cut it out?" 

Kirara glanced at her watch. "I'm getting hungry," she interrupted, earning a grateful look from Sango. "Let's just get going,"

Reluctantly, Ayame and Kagome gave up their teasing, though both gave Sango very smug looks as they slid past her to claim the back seat once more. Sighing, Sango joined them, and the couple resumed their seats up front. 

Their trek to find a place to eat was filled with both uneasy and comfortable silence. It was comfortable enough to not feel embarrassingly awkward, but no one felt quite sure of themselves enough to speak. Kirara had her nose practically glued to the window. "There!" she excitedly exclaimed, pointing to In-n-Out Burger. "I haven't eaten there in ages! Shall we?"

"Sure," came a chorus of agreement, and Shippou complied with the hungry flock of girls by pulling into the drive. "Are we going in? Or do you want me to go through the drive-through?" he inquired. 

"How 'bout we go in?" Sango suggested. The others, not wishing to further offend her that night, quickly agreed. Besides, no one had really wanted to head for home yet anyway. Ayame and Sango were nice enough to volunteer to order for everyone, listening intently to what everyone wanted before leaving them to pick out a seat in the comfortably crowded burger joint. 

After giving one of the cashiers their large order and paying, Sango and Ayame collapsed down on the bench meant for waiting customers such as themselves. "...Sango?" Ayame weakly approached the subject.

"Yeah?" Sango tilted her head, giving the nervous girl a small smile.

"You're not mad at me, are you? For teasing you?" Ayame anxiously fretted.

"Nah," Sango gave a brief shake of her head. "I just got embarrassed, that's all. Besides, I _know_ I deserved it, for all the times I do the same to you and Kagome-chan,"

"Heh," Ayame gratefully returned Sango's smile, nodding her head. "That you do," she chuckled.

"Number eight-two, your order is ready. Number eighty-two, your order is ready," a nasally voice informed them over the loudspeaker. 

Ayame glanced briefly at their receipt. "That's us!" she announced cheerfully, bouncing up, Sango in tow, to claim their food. 

Surveying the oily-skinned, shady-looking man who slid them their trays, Sango found her nose wrinkling in disgust. She didn't know why, but she got the dirtiest feeling being in such close proximity of this man. A frowning Ayame meeting her gaze signaled the other girl felt much the same. Quickly thanking him, they handed over their receipt, grabbed their trays, and wasted no time in hurrying to find the rest of their posse.

"What's the rush?" Shippou asked, standing to catch a nearly tripping Sango. 

"There's this creep working behind the counter," Ayame shuddered, answering for her friend.

"He didn't do anything to you?" Kirara asked, alarmed, halfway standing herself, prepared to march right over and give the perpetrator a thrashing he wouldn't soon forget.

"No," Sango interjected, shaking her head. "But he just...I don't know, I got this really weird feeling from him," 

"It's always good to trust your instincts in situations like this," Shippou nodded wisely, waiting for Sango to slide into the booth before sitting back down. 

They began to eat, engaging in pleasant conversation all the while. It was near the end of their meal that they began to notice a large crowd was forming around the front of the restaurant. Moments later, a few angry words and scuffling sounds met their ears. 

Craning their necks to see, Shippou boldly stood up, when the found they could not catch sight of what was going on from their seats. His eyes immediately bugged out. "It's Sesshoumaru!" he gasped. "And Kikyou!"

Now everyone, especially Kagome, snapped to attention. "Holy..." Kagome trailed off. "That's my cousin!" Despite their attentiveness on the current situation, everyone couldn't help but turn to face her. "What?" Kagome crossed her arms defensively, "I didn't know that _your_ Kikyou was _my_ Kikyou!"

There was a pregnant pause, in which everyone sweatdropped, before turning back to the matter at hand. Kikyou was pressed against the wall, looking quite frightened. An extremely angry Sesshoumaru stood protectively in front of her, stylish trenchcoat coated in ketchup. From the floor, the creepy man arose, wiping what _looked_ like ketchup but could only be blood off the corner of his mouth. "...Onigumo!" Shippou stared, entranced. 

"Onigumo?" Kagome, Sango and Ayame simultaneously questioned.

"This disgusting asshole that goes to Goshinboku," Shippou once more tore his eyes away, bitterly informing them. "He's flunked nearly every year; he was enrolled way back when, when those two went there...He always had his sight set on Kikyou, even had the gall to try to force himself on her once. When Sesshoumaru stepped into the picture, everything went downhill from there,"

"Onigumo, Onigumo, Onigumo..." Kagome racked her brain, eyes squinched tight in thought. They swiftly fluttered open, just moments later. "I remember that name! Kikyou told me about him once! I was almost going to go there, to Goshinboku, I mean, but Kikyou convinced my mother not to, because I looked so much like her, and she was having trouble with this jerk...Is that really him?"

"The one and only," Shippou frowned. "Stay here, ladies, I'm going to see what this is all about..." 

They all nodded dumbly, eyes trailing after Shippou, who, while he was tough, was rather short for his age, and was having a bit of a time pushing his way through the wall of people. Finally, he succeeded, and disappeared, swallowed by the crowd. 

Shippou sidled up alongside Sesshoumaru. "What's going on?" he whispered, keeping his voice low. 

"This punk..." Sesshoumaru seethed. "Purposefully got this crap," he eloquently motioned to the ketchup, "All over me, and _then_ he had the nerve to make crude passes at Kikyou," by now he was nearly roaring, "And **then**," Sesshoumaru held up a minuscule pill between his thumb and forefinger, "I saw him slip this into my food," 

Shippou winced, rubbing at his ear, which Sesshoumaru had just nearly blown off. Nodding, he wandered over to Kikyou. Taking her arm, he wordlessly led her back to their table, ignoring the stares he was getting. Dutifully standing, allowing her to sit in his seat, Shippou moved his hand to her shoulder, patting it consolingly.

Kirara discreetly flashed Shippou a smile, extremely proud of her boyfriend. Kikyou stared blankly ahead for a moment, before also managing a smile in Shippou's direction. She had always been fond of him, he who looked so young for his age. "Thank you," she mouthed quietly, casting her eyes downward.

"No problem," Shippou gently returned, crouching down beside the table. 

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked worriedly, leaning over from across the table.

Kikyou looked up at her through downcast eyelashes. "...Kagome?"

"Yeah," Kagome gave her a sad smile. 

"I'm fine..." Kikyou sighed. "Just a little shaken up..."

"What exactly happened?" Kirara asked gently. They had all heard what happened from Sesshoumaru, but truthfully, that hadn't been a very good explanation. 

"Well," Kikyou dabbed at her eye with a napkin, bringing it down to her lap, clutching desperately at it. "Sesshoumaru was getting our drinks, and I was picking up our food. And all the sudden...h-he...Onigumo he...stepped out from behind the wall, and...started talking to me..." 

She was obviously avoiding what he had said and everyone was prudent enough not to ask. "That bastard!" Sango balled her fists up, something violent flashing in her pretty brown eyes. 

Ayame nodded, rather numbly, in agreement. Kagome, however, vigorously nodded, also clenching her fists. "I hope Sesshoumaru gave him a pounding he'll never forget!" she nearly growled. 

Shippou glanced over and saw that the crowd was beginning to disperse. Sesshoumaru, it seemed, was practically cornered by the manager, who seemed to be apologizing profusely. Onigumo was nowhere to be found. 

Finally, still splattered with ketchup, Sesshoumaru stalked over, sucking in air through his teeth, still quite obviously furious. It was a good thing, it seemed, that he didn't know Onigumo had begun laying it on even _before_ he'd come back with the drinks, or he might have been heading down to the police station that night. In fact, it was a miracle he wasn't there already. 

He gingerly stepped over Shippou, also crouching by her side. Reaching up with a gloved hand to stroke her forehead, he cupped her cheek. "You okay?"

She nodded, though refusing to meet his gaze. Everyone was still. Finally, Sesshoumaru removed his hand, and Kikyou stood up. Holding her possessively to his chest, they made their way out of the by then nearly empty restaurant. They paused at the door, and turned to face the group once more. Kikyou mouthed another 'thank you', and turned shyly away. Sesshoumaru lifted his hand in a half-hearted wave, and then they left, disappearing into the night.

Kagome glanced down at her root beer in disgust. "...Let's get going," she said softly.

Everyone mutely nodded in agreement. There was no more room for cheerful banter that evening...

A/N: As payment for my evil laziness, I have produced this _extra_, _extra_ long chapter just for you, my faithful reviewers. And so soon after last update! Please accept my apology. I realize that the end of this chapter somewhat dragged, yes, and sadly, Kikyou came out as the almost 'weak' one, but I couldn't find the right way to convey the onslaught of conflicting emotions but through the way of the tragic martyr. Please forgive me, I know she is _anything_ but helpless. Additionally, I apologize if this chapter was littered with typos. I tried to catch the more drastic ones. 

Artificial: I feel _so_ bad for forgetting to include a response to your review last chapter! Gomen nasai! I got the idea for this story one night when I was sitting at the second desk here in the den. I can't recall exactly what prompted me to even _think_ of an ice cream parlor, but I knew I wanted them to be working together. And then all the sudden this super kawaii/super perverted image popped into my head: Miroku and Sango in their cute little uniforms. I pictured them bumping heads as they leaned down to scoop some ice cream for a customer, Sango pulling back in a blush, and that good, old hentai of ours groping her ass. XD...I fell in love with the idea. For the title, I wanted to include a word that both applied to ice cream but had a different meaning. Sundae immediately popped into my mind. From there, the rest of the title just whooshed right out of my head. ::shrugs:: It's kind of complicated. Anyway, I hope that satisfied your curiosity. 

Roganu: What's so strange about that? Do you not like him elsewhere, or something? o_o; 

Aamalie: Yeah. You guessed it. I fulfilled two out of three of your demands. Quick update and long chapter. No fluff this chapter: just angsty plot-buildup. 

Everyone Else: Thank you _so_, _so_ much! I am eternally in your debt! I am even closer to my goal!

Please Review! 


	12. Late Night Vigil

It was late out, but they didn't care. The sporty, black mustang in which they sat was spewing fuel onto pavement below them, effectively staining it, but they didn't care. The radio was blasting static, but they didn't care. There was no moon in the sky and they sat alone in the dark, but they didn't care. Cars zoomed past them from nearly every direction, but they didn't care. 

But one couldn't go home, and she did care. And Higurashi Kikyou thanked her lucky stars that her younger sibling was staying at a friend's house. 

Two sets of eyes peered out into an empty abyss lit only occasionally by the blinding glare of head and taillights. Aforementioned young woman and Senshi Sesshoumaru sat, tense, in the front seats of the car, lost in their own thoughts and not daring to attempt communication at such a time. 

Kikyou's generally warm orbs of mahogany were now dull and glazed over, characterized by some unspoken sorrow, while Sesshoumaru's searing magma-like pools were a-swirl, violently turbulent. Both were obviously thinking of what had happened just little over an hour ago, though with quite different reactions.

Sesshoumaru's nostrils flared with every breath. Regardless of what they had told their friends, Onigumo's transgressions went far beyond simple passes at his girlfriend. It was far more than that, this tangled web they weaved...

Kikyou had gone through the pains to explain the encounter in full detail after they'd left, and while Sesshoumaru had been enraged before, he was now past the line that marked a normal person's sanity. And he was more than a little scared, too. Not for himself, and even his beloved, though. 

__

"Why hello there, my dear," an oily voice sliced through the cheerful buzzing about her, prompting Kikyou to glance up with a wary expression.

"Onigumo..." she inhaled sharply, her murmur breathy. She seemed to get ahold of herself a moment later, however, and glared at the greasy-haired man. "What do you want with me?" she demanded; loud enough to command an answer but quiet enough so as not to attract attention.

He chuckled softly, and further approached her, carefully balancing a tray in his hands. "Now, now. No need to act so rashly, my sweet."

"Your sweet?" she sounded rather appalled. Then again, who wouldn't be?

"Yes. You're mine, Kikyou. You should know that by now..."

She snorted. "As if. Now would you be so kind as to fuck off?"

He fixed her with a level stare. "You're worth more than Senshi can offer. Ditch him and come with me, Kikyou. I'll show you what a real man can do." She made a disgusted face and started to say something, but he interrupted, "And if you don't take me up on my little offer, something real interesting might happen to that twerpy sister of Senshi's. Something **real** _interesting..."_

Her blood ran cold and her eyes were wide with terror. "You wouldn't."

"You know me better than that, Kikyou. Of **course** _I would. And if you refuse even then, it'll be _**your** _dear, darling sister."_

"You're a monster," she seethed.

He laughed again, this time catching the attention of Sesshoumaru, who had finished getting the drinks. "That may be true but I'm a damn smart one, my dear." 

Everything had gone downhill from there and at long last, here they sat, in a silent gloom. Opting however, to breach the broken bridges of communication, Sesshoumaru's hand snaked out in the darkness and plopped lightly on top of hers, intertwining their fingers.

She broke out of her stupor and offered him a sad smile. "We're on our last life line, aren't we?"

He sighed heavily. "I'm afraid so."

She fought the urge to cry. For in doing so, not only would she be weak, but she would be good as well admitting their defeat. And though the situation looked hopeless, neither really wanted to do so quite yet. "Damn it..."

He glanced up in surprise and caught her gaze. It was not often that she swore; not often at all. "Kikyou..." 

"I hate this," she muttered. "How can we just sit back idly and watch him destroy our lives like this?"

"But what can we do?" he questioned, throwing in the little reminder, "He pretty much is holding your sister's life in the palm of his hand. I mean, Rin is easier to be watched than Kaede..."

"I know," she sighed, succumbing to deep despair. "And back there...In the restaurant, I mean...He made me feel so helpless, so weak."

He gave her hand a little squeeze for comfort. "We'll think of something. Some way, some how..."

"I sure hope so," she mimicked his earlier sigh. "Ordinarily I'd take this straight to the police, but...It's not as simple as that, is it?" 

"No," Sesshoumaru shook his head, anger creeping into his tone once more. "It's not. And that's what's making me so mad. Because like I said before; at the moment, we can't do one damn thing."

She slumped down in her seat, folding her arms as she glanced out the window to her right. Shivering suddenly, she eyed the clock. "It's past midnight already..."

"I know..." he responded shortly thereafter, fiddling with the steering wheel. 

"I don't want to go home," she whispered. "I don't want to be by myself tonight."

He leaned over the divider and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "I won't let you be alone." He assured her.

"But Inu-Yasha will be at home," she reminded him.

"He can blow it out his ass, for all I care." Sesshoumaru shrugged, turning the key in the engine even as he spoke, pulling out onto the road the next chance he got. 

She just shook her head. "If you say so...I just hate sounding like a martyr."

"Kikyou," he shook his head in exasperation. "This very well may be the life or death situation he promised us. We're not being over dramatic and you're certainly not being a martyr. Now will you please calm down? Getting worked up is like handing him the cup."

"I...You're right," she took a deep breath and swallowed. 

"That's better," he soothed. "Kaede is very safe wherever she is; he promised to come after Rin first, and she's at home with Inu-Yasha." 

She nodded stiffly. "Yes, of course..."

The rest of the drive was pretty much spent in silence. They exchanged words a few times, but mostly they just spoke to reassure one another that everything was going to be all right. When they were safely there, and Sesshoumaru had made three rounds around the house, making sure everything was carefully locked, he turned on the kitchen range light and a lamp in the living room. Both of them canceled their plans for the next day. 

The stately grandfather clock cheerfully chimed in every hour, and Sesshoumaru and Kikyou would creep up the stairs and check on Rin. When the crack of dawn finally came, Sesshoumaru grabbed some blankets and pillows from his room and set them up on the couch. Their late night vigil was over at last. Onigumo may be an odd one, but even he would not be foolish enough to try something when it was light out. 

Once the two of them were settled - snuggled up under the blankets - their drowsiness began to show. It was not long before Sesshoumaru's breathing became even and his eyes fluttered closed. Kikyou flashed him a lopsided smile and reached up to brush the bangs from his eyes. But even as she gently traced the sides of his face and his high cheekbones, she fell prisoner to sleep herself.

A/N: Long time no update. Only seven reviews to go before I reach my career-long goal. Winter break's coming up in a mere four days, so hopefully I'll be able to work on this quite a bit. Then again, who knows? Since everytime I seem to say something like that I never get the time to or whatnot and turn out to be a liar. But anyway, the annoying amount of drama is starting to annoy me, as well as how I must portray Kikyou and Sesshoumaru, but hopefully that will improve starting with the next chapter. And oh: unfortunately there will be no Miroku/Sango direct interaction for the next two-to-three chapters. As mentioned in Chapter 10, Miroku's going on an impromptu vacation. But fear not, loyal readers; there will be some immediately upon his return, and soon after that, they will even evolve into...friends. ::gasp::

Please Review! 


	13. Suspended on Silver Wings

Slender fingers weaved their way through his inky strands, pouting lips drawing ever-closer to his own. "Mmm, Sango…" He moaned in delight. Moments later, his eyelids shot open and he was jolted back to the real world, where his Uncle's cat seemed to find his hair extremely fascinating. 

Scowling, he swatted the creature away. Rubbing his eyes, he yawned and sat up, stretching all the while. He blindly groped for the small, white hair tie he kept on the nightstand beside his bed. In one swift movement, his mussed locks were combed back with his nimble digits and tied up tight. 

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he slowly drew himself up in front of the large, oak dresser that lay in front of his bed. Fumbling, he pulled out the top drawer and grabbed a navy t-shirt; plain, save the fact that it bore his favorite band's logo. Sauntering over to the closet, he pulled back the door and perused the myriad of hanging clothes until he finally extracted his selection: stiffly starched, dark denim wranglers. 

Lazily crawling into his chosen garments, he slipped on his socks, stepped into his shoes, and was out the door and down the quiet hall of the upper portion of his house. He was downstairs in a flash, sidled up to the kitchen counter, taking a tentative bite of the toast that had been prepared for him an hour or so ago. It was somewhat cold, but it was enough to satiate his growling stomach. 

Sweeping the crumbs off the plate and into the garbage can, he ran some water over the plate to remove the buttery trails and left it in the sink. Wiping his mouth on the back of his arm, he hung a left out the swinging kitchen doors and into the small bathroom nearly hidden behind the laundry room. 

He took great care when he plucked a small tube from the hanging medicine cabinet and squeezed some thick, mint-scented goo onto his toothbrush. Wetting the head of the brush almost as an afterthought, he crammed the thing in his mouth and began the mundane, hygienic task. Taking a swig from a disposable cup, he spat in the bowl of the pedestal sink and wiped off both his mouth and his hands on the fresh towel nearby. 

Miroku and his family had just arrived back from vacation the night before. It had been late, so understandably, the young man was still a little tired. It had been an interesting trip, to say the least. But very lonely. There had been no friends to joke around with. No band practice. No ice cream parlor. No Sango. It had been just he, his surrogate pop Mushin, and the wide, open air. 

There had been plenty of time for soul searching, but that had never been his thing. The way he had things figured, you either lived your life to the fullest with minimal regrets (or at the very least enjoyed yourself) or you wasted away grousing or picking on about every little thing. 

In any case, he had thought himself right out the door. His Hummer sat in the driveway, coated by a thin layer of dew. A close and thorough examination yielded nothing wrong with the vehicle. He smiled to himself. He would have to remember to profusely thank Shippou. The copper-haired youth may have a goofy side, but he was very reliable when it counted -- not to mention a great friend.

He was at school in a matter of minutes. He had taken the liberty to learn his own way around Shikon High, as he had predicted Sango wouldn't offer much help after the first few days. And of course, this was true: Sango could currently be found lounging in her bed, debating whether or not to go to school that day. Call it fate, call it destiny, call it a ham sandwich if you please, but Sango finally decided she would grace her peers with her oh-so-lovely presence. 

She sauntered over to her closet, frowning at the meager selection available to her; she had to remember to stop lending Kagome her clothes. Deciding to merely go casual today, she pulled on a pair of worn-in jeans and her favorite shirt. She pulled back her hair into its usual style and grabbed her hoodie from the hook on the back of her bedroom door. As she sprinted down the hall, she snatched up her book bag and slung a single strap over her shoulder. Dashing into the kitchen, she grabbed a cereal bar on the fly that her younger brother Kohaku had dutifully fetched for her and was out the door before she had time to mouth goodbye. 

Her rusty old bicycle was leaned up against the mailbox at the end of the driveway, where it was every morning. Her father wheeled it out from the shed and left it there for her every morning, before he headed to work. Its condition, combined with the neighborhood she and her family resided in, kept it from harm. There was no need for a chain. At least until she got to school.

Placing her cereal bar down on the very top of the dusty bricks, she quickly slipped into her hoodie. Retrieving her breakfast and thoughtlessly stuffing it into the kangaroo pouch, she took a peek inside the mailbox. Noticing a few slivers of white, she halted the process and immediately shut the lid, flicking up the little red flag as she did so. Another joint operation that she and her father carried out. For while no one would steal her bike, there had been several reports of mail theft. Her father had preferred she let the mailman know there was outgoing mail, because the time she left for school was much closer to the time the mailman made his rounds than when he went to work. A small, added precaution, that's all. 

Loping around to the other side, she threw one leg over the banana seat and tucked up the kick-stand with the tip of her toe. Bringing up her legs so her feet could rest on the pedals, she sharply propelled herself forward with a single yet powerful push of her thigh. Once she was set in motion, her lower appendages were a-blur as she hurried off to school, quite literally 'as fast as her legs could carry her'. 

He was coming around the corner right as she blew past. He gave a startled cry and shrank back against the wall, lest he walk around school all day with tire tracks imprinted on him. She gave a muffled cry of apology over her shoulder as she continued on her way to the bicycle racks, obviously not noticing the identity of her would-be-victim.

He gave a rueful smile and pressed on towards his first class. There would be plenty of time to admire her. After all, they _did_ have the same schedules. When she plopped down in the seat next to his (her grudge about him duping her into that seat temporarily forgotten the moment she had a chance to sink down in it as best she could and give her aching legs a rest), she barely even glanced at him before whipping her head around to talk to Kuranosuke, who sat directly behind her. 

Her impromptu ponytail whipped across his face, tickling his nose. In that brief instant, his keen sense of smell was able to detect traces of tea tree; presumably in the form of shampoo. He himself adored the scent and he would have gladly sat there all day sniffing at Sango's hair if it were not for the reality of the situation. 

Snapping out of his self-induced stupor, he diverted his attention towards the front of the room, his eyes scanning what had been hastily scrawled out under the section of the board devoted entirely to the day's schedule. Running mentally through the list, he began to check things off as he extracted them from his dark purple, leather-bottomed Jansport book bag. 

_A Separate Peace_. Check. _Study Guide_. Check. _Thesis Statement. _Check. He seemed to have everything Yura-sensei required for the day. Leaning over, he hesitantly tapped Sango's shoulder, drawing her attention. She fixed him with a scowl; she and Kuranosuke had been engaged in the most _fabulous_ conversation. "Yes, Houshi-_sama_?"

He stared at her a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind," He murmured sullenly. He had been about to ask her an actual, relevant question, but seeing her hateful look had stopped him in his tracks. He frowned to himself. Sure, he and Sango may not have exactly gotten off on the right foot (and admittedly, he had done nothing to make her adjustment to acknowledging his presence easer) but there was really no need for such un-civil arguments. So he'd decided just to let it drop. 

Sango returned his steady gaze, the look of mistrust in her eyes softening ever-so-slightly as she observed genuine interest, not of the lecherous sort. The way his voice came out almost silky as his thin lips drew together to form what resembled a pout, making them almost…kissable. 

She gasped at the thought. Kuranosuke, who had been rifling through his bag for something, glanced up sharply. He easily detected the sudden tension between Sango and Miroku. "…Sango?" He questioned, a bit of an edge creeping into his voice.

"Hmm?" She tore her eyes away from Miroku's to smile sweetly at her boyfriend. A look of 'realization' flickered across her face, and she forced a sigh. "Oh. That." She began slowly, referring to the gasp. She could play this nicely and avoid any and all uncomfortable situations. As much as she may have disliked Miroku, he didn't particularly deserve to be mauled for something that, for once, wasn't any fault of his. "I think I forgot my study guide, Osuke-kun. That's all. But it is worth big points…" She added, trailing off for effect.

"Want me to help you look for it?" Kuranosuke motioned toward both her book bag and the large accordion folder atop her desk. 

"Nah." Sango shook her head. "I've got it covered." 

Kuranosuke nodded, satisfied, and went back to searching for whatever he had previously been. Sango discreetly slipped her study guide, which in all truths, had been directly under her accordion folder (she had removed it shortly after sitting down) and slipped it into her bag. When she leaned over sideways, her eyes widened in mock amazement and she let out a quiet squeal. "Oh, here it is, Osuke-kun!"

He flashed her a grin. "That's great, San-chan." And just as he leaned over to deliver a peck to her cheek, Yura-sensei waltzed into the room and the bell rang. As Sango quickly whipped around in her seat so as not to get scolded, Kuranosuke could barely mask his look of disappointment. Miroku could barely mask his look of glee. In fact, such a huge grin threatened to take over his face that he had to stare down at his desk for some time. 

Yura-sensei finished sifting through the mountains of paper on her desk and strode to the front of the room, plastering an eerily cheerful smile on her face. "Good morning, class." She greeted them, an equally disturbing twinkle in her eyes.

"Good morning, Yura-sensei," The class responded carefully, eyeing her warily.

She disregarded their tentative expressions and for once let their subdued and not all-together enthusiastic response slide. She clapped her hands together, her twisted smile morphing into a monstrous grin. Oh yes, something was definitely up. "I trust you had a fine weekend?" She inquired, sounding quite chipper. 

If they weren't suspicious before, they were now. Yura-sensei was never this way unless she was about to unleash some sort of horrible bomb of an assignment on them. Of course, this time was no exception. "I trust you all have your thesis statements?" She added, glancing around the room, catching the nods of almost fearful agreement. "That's very good. Because I decided that instead of next week, your papers will be due Wednesday."

Wednesday. It was Monday. Instead of getting a whole school week, plus the weekend, to work on them, they got a measly two days. Which _maybe_ wouldn't be so bad if this paper was an individual assignment. But no, it was to be jointly written. Meaning Sango's thesis was identical to Miroku's (though that took some time -- the day Yura-sensei had given them for pre-draft work, most partnerships only took about ten minutes to come up with their thesis statements, while Miroku and Sango had taken the whole period and then some). Which is what he had originally been leaning over to ask her about. 

Initially, the plan was for the students to spend as much time in class completing the paper was they possibly could, reducing the inconvenience of having to seek out their partners in their free time. This had been Sango's only solace the day the rubric had been addressed. But now, it was near impossible not to have to meet up after school and work on it. Which was ultimately Yura-sensei's plan, though no one was aware of it. She was _not_ going to sit through another faculty meeting and listen to Totousai-sensei, Shikon High's principal, preach and lecture about the uncooperative nature of the school's students again! 

After some serious work, the most anxious students noticed the time and began to pack up, signaling a chorus of zippers and clasps and all sorts of noises. Everyone crowded around the door for the last few minutes and when the first bell rang, consenting their release, everyone stampeded out into the already crowded hall. Kuranosuke got swept away in the mass of people, shouting promises of a continuation of their conversation at lunch. Sango smiled faintly and hurried to her next class, unaware that a certain boss of hers was the one being crammed up against her from behind. 

She entered her second period classroom, unknowingly shadowed by Miroku. She strolled across the cool tile and took her seat in the back of the room. She noticed Miroku fumbling about out of the corner of her eye and smiled maliciously, as this was the one class where "partners" weren't sat next to each other, as the youngest teacher in their school, Kagura-sensei, promoted mingling. Thus, their seats were changed frequently. It was, after all, a theatre class, and you never knew who you'd end up working with next. Better that you know them ahead of time. 

But Sango's freedom was short-lived. After checking the whiteboard for the journal prompt and filling the next twenty lines in her spiral notebook designated for this class, she was allowed to settle back and relax for a mere three minutes after the final bell rang and the late-comers rushed to get their daily entry complete so they wouldn't end up having to make it up. Immediately afterwards, Kagura-sensei flitted back into her mini "office", having left instructions to get into their groups and practice their skits. 

Miroku sauntered over as everyone else shuffled to find their partner, met halfway by Sango's reproachful sneer. He averted his gaze, concentrating on the wall behind her. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached her side of the room. "I wrote us a script," He offered, almost shyly, as he held out two stapled pieces of paper.

Sango redirected her withering expression to the paper. Miroku swore he saw it shrivel under her fierce scowl. At long last, she nodded sharply, snatching the papers from his hands. "It better not be disgusting," She muttered in warning. 

The only response she received was an enigmatic smile. Her grip on the paper tightened and she swiftly dropped her eyes to scan the script, now convinced the whole thing was full of wicked, immodest things. But to her surprise, she found herself skimming one of the most beautiful, captivating things she had ever read. She slowed down her pace so she could absorb the bulk of it.

When she had finished, she stared in shock up into Miroku's beaming face. "You really wrote this?" She looked skeptical.

His pleased expression faltered. "Yes," He nodded quietly, looking rather hurt at her semi-accusation. "I did."

"I…" She trailed off, not really knowing how to express herself to the one she thought to be consumed by perversion to the point of being able to formulate an intelligent thought. "It's really good." She finished lamely, after a long pause.

Miroku was disappointed, but he didn't show it. "So…" He hesitated, casting his gaze back towards the papers in her hand. "You have to objections?" He inquired weakly.

"Not a one!" She flashed him an impulsive and highly spontaneous grin, thoroughly taking him aback. However, when she realized what she was doing, that delightful expression melded back into the usual one she carried when he was around. But, something about her seemed much more gentle. But he shrugged this off and the hour had passed before he knew it. 

The remaining two hours before lunch flew by. The whole thing had a kind of ethereal feeling about it. He and Sango actually seemed to be getting along. Truly, her impression of him had softened. She no longer found him quite as obnoxious. Nor did he appear to be as intrusive as she had once thought. In fact, now that she took the time to notice it, except for the few times he had teased her that week, he actually seemed pretty meek at school. A far cry for the lecherous, womanizing swindler she had grown accustomed to. And as much as it pained her to admit it, she could even picture herself befriending this nicer, more polite Miroku. 

She'd had half a mind to invite him to sit with her and the others, but he had instantly fled the room the instant the bell had rung. As soon as he had left the room, it was like a weight had been lifted. She felt a sudden wave of relief hit her. He had left. Had the infectious madness she had come down with passed? It would seem so. As soon as he was out of her site, all feelings of good-will towards him dissipated at once and she fell back into her old way of thinking. Snorting out loud, she crossed her arms as she stormed across campus. How dare that moronic hentai lure her in! It was humiliating! 

Hugging her book to her chest, she forced her way to her locker. Once there, she proceeded to unload and then reload her bag with the necessities she required. Grabbing some lunch money, she slammed her locker shut and hurried to the cafeteria, throwing her cereal bar wrapper away in the first trash can she passed; she had eaten it on the way to her first class and forgotten to throw the packaging out. 

Spotting her friends almost immediately, she slipped into line in front of them and promptly engaged in a conversation about whatever struck them as odd or suited their fancy that day. Sango noticed Ayame was unnaturally quiet but she was almost afraid to mention it. When Kagome decided to rant about her day, Sango only lent her half an ear: keeping the other -- and both eyes -- fixed on her red-haired friend. Something was definitely up.

Elsewhere, Miroku lay sprawled out on a grassy hill, ignoring the slight damp seeping into the back of his shirt. They had apparently just watered this field the hour before; still somewhat protruding sprinkler heads supported this guess. He had no lunch, as Mushin drank away what little portion of the household income that wasn't spent on bills, and there had been no time to make himself one. So, ignoring the pained rumblings of his stomach, he concentrated on watching the clouds.

Sango had just excused herself to go to the restroom. So as her friends continued chatting on about who-knows-what, she found herself venturing down the empty hall. Something about the way the light hit the window drew her attention and she found herself turning to look out the window on her right. The first thing she caught site of was a lone figure off in the distance, slumped over in the grass in the middle of one of the fields. She found herself squinting, trying to place the face. Then it hit her. Miroku? He was just laying there, like a lump on the ground. She observed his surroundings, spying nothing but him -- not even his book bag.

For some reason, she felt concerned. Had he eaten lunch? Before she could stop herself, she found herself back in the cafeteria, approaching the front of the snack bar line. Realizing what she was doing as she exited the school building altogether, giant cookie in hand, much to the surprise of her friends. It was too late to turn back now. He had glanced up and spotted her. If only she had pulled away a second earlier, she could have made an honorable retreat. But now, turning face and walking away when it had been obvious she was heading towards him would not only be an insult to Miroku, but an insult to herself. And while she didn't care _too_ much about the latter, she definitely cared about the former. 

At last she arrived at his side. A stretching silence passed between them. Finally, she sighed and plopped down. He almost looked amused. She raised a brow at his silent chuckle but let it drop, wordlessly breaking off a chunk of the cookie for herself and offering the rest to him. He seemed surprised, but after a moment, he accepted her offering and began to munch on it thoughtfully.

When he could bare the quiet not longer, he asked, quite simply and to the point, "Why?" 

It was her turn to look startled. "Why?" She repeated, to which he nodded. "I…Dunno." She concluded with a quirky little shrug. 

He could have drug a better answer out of her, but he let it pass. But when the silence once again threatened them, he found himself speaking once more, only this time in more coherent phrases. "It's a nice day out."

She nodded.

"Perfect for cloud gazing."

"First the script and now this."

"Huh?"

"I never knew you were so creative, Miroku."

"A lot of people don't," He smiled wryly. 

"Mmm…" She trailed off, leaning back and propping herself up with her elbows. She gave her hair a toss before leveling her gaze on him. "Do you sit out here a lot?"

"No," He admitted. "This is my first time."

"I see," She nodded sagely. A shy tone crept into her voice. "This is kind of nice…"

He finished his part of the cookie before responding. "Yeah." 

She decided to venture out on a limb, while she had him. "Why…Do you act the way you do?"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You know…" She squirmed uncomfortably. 

"No, I don't." He confessed. 

"You must," She pleaded. If he didn't know, that meant…It came naturally. For some unknown reason, she felt very strongly about this. She _had _to know. 

Finally it dawned on him, as to what she might be referring to. "Oh…You mean all the…?"

She nodded.

"Because…I'm really like that?" He sighed. This was it.

She didn't believe him, even though the words had come out of his own mouth. "You're lying," Her eyes narrowed. "I know you are. No one writes something so sweet and so sincere if all they can think about is getting some."

He laughed; an earnest sort of laugh. "So you caught me. No, Sango, I'm not really like that," Here he paused to look up at the sky, his striking azure orbs fluttering closed as the wind blew gently at them. He did not say anything else for a long time. Neither did Sango, and he feared she had gotten up and left in his moment of weakness. But when his eyes opened, she was still there. And…She was smiling. This gave him a strange sort of courage. "I'm not really like that. I don't want to be like that. But you see…I need to," He finished lamely. 

Before she had a chance to respond to this, he abruptly stood up. "Thanks for the cookie," He returned the smile, with a sad one of his own. "And the company. I guess this makes us…'Friends'." With that, he left, striding off across the field, the grass about him rippling in the wind, giving everything a surreal feeling. It was as if he himself were suspended on silver wings. 

Sango herself hurried away in the general direction of her next class, for the bell was sure to be ringing soon. And indeed it did. She was a little nervous about seeing Miroku in her other classes; afraid to break the moment of truce they had had out on the field. But he wasn't there. And he wasn't there for the remaining two classes. 

As the seconds ticked by, Sango found herself growing increasingly worried. Finally, though, she had to stop and ask herself: Why on earth was she getting worked up about a man whom she had gone from loathing to being 'friends' with in a mere five minutes or so? And how had that happened anyway?

****

A/N: Eh. Hello, all. *dies from exhaustion* As you can see, I'm back from whatever little break I decided to take with this fic. But here is an _uber_ long update to make up for it. I hope you can forgive me. I decided not to postpone Miroku's return and get right to the good stuff. So I hope you enjoyed. Oh yes, in case you were wondering: the 'suspended on silver wings' part came from 1,000 no Kotoba (1,000 Words). It's strange, really. I had written all the way up to that part and as it's pretty early in the morning and I didn't get a lot of sleep, I was starting to nod off right where I sat. so I decided to listen to music to wake me up and the first one I saw, I clicked. It happened to be said song. And as I listened to the song, it struck me as ironic. For almost all the phrases in there either a) applied to this chapter or b) I could see this chapter as a sort of 'prologue' to those scenarios. So if I have the inspiration by the time Sango and Miroku finally get together, maybe I'll do a chapter that ties up the loose ends I created in my mind. 

Anyway, I have finally exceeded the 100 review mark. Currently I rest at 101, I believe. Thank you all _so_ much. I know this sounds incredibly cheesy, but you don't know how much that means to me. But don't stop there xD! I'm not up to doing reader review responses for this chapter as I want to get this up and posted in the few minutes left before I have to go to school. Half day, yay! _Maybe_ I can work on another chapter when I get home. Oh yes, pardon any typos and whatnot. I didn't read through this. I will later, though. I promise.

Please Review!


	14. Cinnamon Lips

"What's up with this?" InuYasha looked as sour as he sounded. "I knew we were a dedicated band, but isn't this going a tad overboard, huh? It's eight a.m. on a Saturday, or did you not notice that?"

Everyone else pretty much ignored him, knowing when he fully 'came to' in an half an hour or so he'd be more than willing to participate. He clearly was just not a morning person, even though when you really came down to it, it was a mere four hours away from being noon. It didn't help that Miroku and Shippou had invaded his house quite some time ago after setting up all their equipment in the Senshi's large garage, though. Call it cliché, but it was the best place to practice. 

Finally tiring of all the grousing, Miroku paused what he was doing and turned to face the sulking silver-haired man. Rubbing his temples, he sighed. "Our big debut is in less than two months. If you don't want to totally flop in front of nearly all of the local population, then you'd better get used to it."

InuYasha gave in at last and helped the two finish hauling two vintage couches from the back of Miroku's Hummer into the dankest corners of his garage. They would strip them of their trashy covering after jamming, as Kirara was supposed to drop by later and make them suitable for lounging on. In their current state, even a homeless person might refuse them. 

Perched atop a stool they had borrowed from InuYasha's kitchen, Shippou's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the paper he held in his hands. "Okay…So we've been given a six song time-slot. That brings us to the important part."

"Which songs?" InuYasha supplied dryly.

"Exactly," Shippou nodded, taking it all quite seriously. "Since there are three of us, usually that would mean we each picked two songs…But since this is Miroku's first big break with us, it's his show and basically all up to him. Now the question is, my friend," He began, purposefully glancing at Miroku, "Songs of your creation, or already licensed ones?"

"My own, of course." Miroku responded without a moment's hesitation. He flashed a quirky little grin in InuYasha's direction. "You don't mind if they're dripping with teenage angst, do you?"

InuYasha avoided looking at him and merely folded his arms. "As long as they've got a good beat…"

Miroku and Shippou grinned at one another; InuYasha may deny it, but they knew he was a sucker for soulful, catchy lyrics. Both were surprised, however, when InuYasha turned on them suddenly and said quite earnestly, "I trust your taste, Miroku."

Wow. That was the closest thing to sentimentality that either of the two had ever yanked out of him. Not wanting to ruin the peaceful moment, they filed that juicy little tidbit away in the backs of their scheming minds for later abuse.

The trio sat around talking and joking for quite some time. Ironically, enough, it was InuYasha who reminded everyone of their true purpose. So while said young man went to fetch them something to chow down on, Shippou and Miroku warmed up. Upon his return, they feasted upon whatever their friend had been able to scrounge up and started the real practice. 

The hours seemed to melt away and it wasn't long before they gave up their disdainful attitude towards to curb couches and gratefully collapsed on them. Nearly fifteen minutes passed, and not a word was exchanged. 

"So anyway…" Miroku trailed off, eyes glossing over as the noise of a door slamming shut caught his attention. "Remember that song I wrote about three months back? Let's play that one before we throw in the towel.."

Shippou caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eyes. Turning and smiling quite viciously at Miroku, he chalked up another blackmailing scenario in his head as he cheerfully agreed. "Sure thing."

InuYasha just rolled his eyes and removed himself from the old sofa, sauntering over to swipe his guitar up from where he had leaned it against the wall. Throwing the strap over his neck, he fondly thumbed the strings as he plugged it again, waiting for the others to get ready.

An odd sort of melody started up. It was rather peppy and almost sugary in nature; one could easily discern it wasn't your garden variety song. Miroku smirked to himself as he adjusted the overhanging microphone and chiming in with his own set of instrumentals. After a few more moments, the vocals began. As it so happened, Kirara made her entrance just as he did so, and she happened to be trailed by two other young women.

"_C-C-C-Cinnamon lips and candy kisses on my tongue…Fun,_" He carefully dragged out the last word, taking delight in the peculiar expression that crossed Sango's face. The two had locked gazes the very moment she had stepped into the room. Had it not been for the distraction of the music, things would have been tense. "_B-B-B-Buttery eyes, if only cries could come from those eyes…Oh,_"

Moment's later, InuYasha's smooth voice joined his own. It seemed he was fighting his own battle, with Kagome as his bittersweet enemy. She had been captivated the moment she rounded the corner; he had almost choked up at first, thinking she was his beloved Kikyou. But as they say, the show must go on. "_Have you landed yet, and if so would you let me know? I'm tired of looking up…into those starry eyes_."

Miroku had managed to swallow the huge lump in his throat in time to belt out his next set of lines. "_Does it rain where you are, does it snow? And if so: remind me not to go there, the weather affects my knee_."

Shippou took great pleasure in the fact that one of the weirdest moments in the song belonged to him. The music changed drastically to an almost church-like melody behind him as he nearly spoke his lines in what he could only hope was a deep enough voice. "_I've never felt this way before_."

The bouncy lyrics resumed. So far, all three girls -- yes, even Sango, though she wouldn't admit it -- were delighted by the performance. As bizarre as the song was, it was certainly catchy and somehow very endearing. To Kagome and Kirara, anyway, for they happily pranced around to the beat, making a spectacle out of themselves. Sango on the other hand, remained glued to the spot. 

"_C-C-C-Cinnamon lips, go powder your cheeks and meet your new beau…Oh_," Much like in the beginning of the song, Miroku's voice exaggerated the word. This time, however, it was extended with a sad tone. Which, while it came with the song, could rather appropriate depict the feelings currently stirring deep inside him. 

"_C-C-C-Counting sheep, if only sheep could put me to sleep…Oh_," InuYasha's voice seemed to perfectly mimic the inflection of Miroku's voice. Kagome was quite surprised by this display of talent. She assumed them to be good, of course, but the thought that they were more than your average garage band had never occurred to her for some reason. 

"_I've never felt this way before_." Shippou's voice cheerily interrupted the angst-session. It seemed his role in this song had been decided long before, though they were really assigning the lines impromptu. Which was amazing when you thought about it, since they were managing to not cut each other off. Catching Kirara's tender smile, Shippou repeated with resolve: "_I've never felt this way before_."

"_Some day_," Miroku began, with a bit of nostalgia in his voice.

"_One day_," InuYasha affirmed.

"_You'll miss me_," Miroku added moments later.

"_You'll miss me_," Shippou sent a weird little half-smile in his friend's direction at the repetition. 

"_Mundane Sundays when I'm gone_." InuYasha filtered out, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment as he thought about all the personal implications this song held. Unfortunately, they were just that; implications, which contained no substance. Kikyou didn't miss him. She never would. They'd never gone out in the first place, so why should she? "_One day_,"

"_Some day_," Talk about role reversal.

"_You'll miss me_…" Shippou trailed off, glancing at his two companions, who appeared to have taken the lyrics to heart.

At long last, their voices melded together. Okay, so they had been practicing the song a lot more than Miroku had implied. "_One day when I'm gone. Adieu and so long. One day when I'm gone_…" For a little while, the background music took over. Though after awhile, their voices resumed the perfect harmony. "_No-no-no-no-no-no-no-wa. No-no-no-no-no-no-no-wa_." There was an echo each time. "_No-no-no-no-no-no-no-wa-wa-wa-wa. No-no-no-no-no-no-no-wa_."

The song gave way to instrumentals once more. The earlier light-hearted mood was joined by InuYasha's hard guitar playing. Eyes still closed, he near murmured, "_Have you landed yet and if so would you let me know_…?"

And to steal the show -- it was his song, after all -- Miroku took over Shippou's line as the music slowed into that organ-like beat and tempo. "_I've never felt this way…before_." And then the music died out and the musicians were met by applause. 

Sango felt like her head was spinning as she recalled a conversation she'd had with Shippou. _Miroku's a drummer_?

****

A/N: Ehh. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but as I'm one chapter closer to completing this fic, I guess I should be thankful. **How many of you thought this chapter would include a kiss because of the chapter title, lol?** Do tell, I'm really quite curious about that. Anyway, it seems a bit cheesy to me, the music bits, but I thought it was better than just scrolling past meaningless lyrics that no one probably cares about anyway. I wanted to include a song in this chapter so you, my readers, could get a better visual of them being in a band AND I wanted to test out the including-the-lyrics-in-the-text bit, since that was how I planned on doing the concert deal, so I could work in the hidden thoughts and meanings of why I chose the songs I did. Anyway, leave me your opinions. If it's too crappy, I guess I'll just mention the song names and describe them playing. Oh yes, before I forget…

****

Disclaimer the Second: "C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips" is a quirky little song by OK Go. Not mine. Though I'd love to own it and the rest of their songs. 

Please Review!


	15. Panic Bells, It's Red Alert

Dry lips formed many words, though sound never once escaped. Spindly digits slid beneath the worn fabric overhang and deep into the pockets of his slacks. Sunbeams danced across his dark glasses, crimson eyes peering out from behind the tint. His gorgeous obsidian tresses spilled in wavy ripples down his back. Tossing them, he was halfway through the open door before he cleared his throat, signaling his presence. 

Many, many heads swiveled in his direction and he chuckled softly in response to the attention he received. The smirk he wore only grew wider when he spotted three particular misfits in the back of the room. Raising his hand so that his index and middle fingers were offered in greeting, he spoke in a smooth, almost purring voice. "Yo." 

All at once, the class was abuzz. Who was this suave stranger who seemed much too old to even be a Senior? InuYasha's eyes steeled as Kagome looked on with a morbid curiosity. Sango arched an equally curious brow as Miroku looked slightly uneasy. Even Kuranosuke seemed a little ruffled. Shippou it seemed, was the only one of the three not upset, as he continued chatting animatedly with Kirara. 

Yura-sensei's smile was, if possible, even more sickeningly sweet than normal. "Class," She began, crooning in that special voice she reserved for disciplinary matters. "I'd like to introduce you to Youkai Naraku. He's going to be our Student Aid. Let's all give him a warm welcome." She paused to send what appeared to be a scalding glare in his direction, but he seemed unaffected as he stood there, smiling calmly. "Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"

The expression that crossed his face was unreadable. Those thin lips of his curled -- almost cruelly -- as he took several more steps, reaching the heart of the classroom. The source of Naraku's arrogance seemed to be Yura-sensei herself. "Sure," He agreed after a moment, his tone amicable enough. But the look in his eyes spoke of murder. "Well, let's see, kiddos…I currently attend Shikon University…I play several instruments and I have several pet spiders. That's about it."

"Thank you, Youkai-san," Yura-sensei offered, her eyes narrowing. 

"Please," He began, placing a hand flat upon his chest. "Just Naraku is fine; that goes for the rest of you, as well." He acknowledged the entire class with a nod.

"Very well," Yura-sensei's reply was crisp. "Why don't you take a seat at my desk and observe for now, as we were just about to start the lesson."

"Certainly," He located her desk and plopped down in the large, black chair behind it.

InuYasha and Miroku traded glances, not quite sure of what to think about that little exchange. The rest of class was uneventful. Receiving their assignment for that evening, which was to read the last chapter of A Separate Peace and answer the remaining questions on their study guide, they were released upon the ringing of the bell. 

They all met out in the hallway. Since completing their joint assignment last Monday and Tuesday after school, Sango and Miroku seemed to carry out a normal relationship as friends, instead of the bitter enemies Sango had originally pegged them as. Saturday had been slightly uncomfortable, but was nothing, really, in the grand scheme of things. So basically, they were now one big happy group. With the exception of Kuranosuke, who really didn't like anybody but Kagome, Kirara, Shippou and, of course, Sango. But that was okay because the other two didn't like him either. But they all got along best they could, for the sake of appearances if anything. 

InuYasha glanced about him, making sure no passerby's were paying too much attention to them. When he was positive everyone was minding their own business, he leaned in and scowled. "What the hell is Naraku doing here?"

Shippou rolled his eyes. "What does it look like he's doing? He goes to Shikon University with your brother, after all. What's so suspicious about him being here?"

Miroku sighed. "Shippou's right, InuYasha. As much as we dislike him being here, he probably has a legit reason. And even if he didn't, there's nothing we could do about it anyway."

InuYasha took a moment to digest this. "I guess so…" He sullenly relented. Brightening, he added quickly, "But we're keeping an eye on him all the same!"

"Fair enough," Shippou shrugged. "Just don't be disappointed if you don't get to pin some huge crime on him, or whatever it is you have in mind."

"Umm…" Kirara began, a bit timid, but willing to ask the question the others were also wondering. "Why are you guys so worried about this guy?"

Shippou placed a hand on her shoulder as the minute bell rang, leading her down the hall a few steps to their next class as the others scurried off to theirs. "We'll explain at lunch, don't worry."

Satisfied for now, Kirara nodded and allowed herself to be ushered into the classroom. 

The hours seemed to crawl by. When at last they were alone in the room, Naraku turned to Yura. "Well how about that? Never would have guessed this is the career you were so hot to pursue…"

Her face burned. "Shut up," She grated, her voice a far cry from the usual sugary sweet quality. "So I dropped out of beauty school. So what? At least I completed my education! I mean, really. You're almost 30, Naraku. And you haven't even completed college."

He frowned, all sense of playfulness abandoned. "I waited for you, Yura. I waited four, long years. I worked my ass off and sent every last red cent to you. There were times I lived under a _overpass,_ for fuck's sake!"

She recoiled at his harsh words and edged closer to the door. She tried to get a word in, but he wouldn't let her. Oh no. Now that he finally had gotten a hold of her, she was going to listen to him. 

"I gave up _everything_, with the hope that you'd go out and make something of yourself, Yura. We were supposed to get married after you graduated, remember?" He goaded her, taking great pleasure in the fear that sparked in her eyes. He advanced upon her, quickly overcoming her before she could turn around and run out into the hall. His warm lips grazed past her neck, hovering just beside her ear, eliciting a shiver from her being. 

"Do you have _any_ idea how it feels to do all that only to find out the person you're doing it all for has dropped out of school and is pissing all your money away when she's _not_ **fucking** another man?" His rage was quiet, but intense. "But what makes me angriest," He gritted out the words, "Is what transpired between you and Senshi."

Yura sucked in her breath, her perfectly manicured nails digging into the palms of her hands, nearly drawing blood. _This was not good._

"What's the matter? Didn't think I'd find out about that? You knew I loved Kikyou…But you knew Senshi loved her too, did you not? But Senshi was too proud…He would have never gone after her on his own. But you helped him. You talked to Kikyou. You found out exactly how she felt for each of us. She loved him then, but she was unsure of herself. She didn't know if she wanted to get caught up with him; after all, they were rivals. She would have gone with me, and you know it. But you gave Senshi all the encouragement he needed. And after that long weekend, anything she ever felt for me was gone."

Yura winced and tried desperately to reason with the man. "But think about it! If she forgot about you so quickly, then her feelings weren't all that strong to begin with!"

But Naraku ignored her. "Come that Monday, there I was. A heartbroken little boy. And who was there to comfort me? Why, it was _you_, Yura! You took me under your wing and coddled me, all the while ensuring my heart would belong to you, once mended. _That_ was your plan. Because you believed what everyone else did: that my parents were filthy rich. But you were wrong," -- Here he laughed bitterly -- "Oh so wrong."

Sango stumbled back from the door, shocked. She and the others had just finished their lunches. She'd learned all about Naraku and the way he worked. But she'd realized she'd forgotten her folder in Yura-sensei's room, and she needed it for her next class. She'd come back to collect it, only to catch the latter half of the conversation. 

She had to tell someone, and fast! Who knew what he might do? She sprinted off in the direction of the cafeteria. Strangely enough, the person whom she so intently sought out was _not_ Kuranosuke. 

****

A/N: No, Naraku's not going to kill Yura xD! (Though Sango's not quite so sure…) I don't know why, but when I reread the chapter, that's the impression I gathered. Naraku might be an angry, bitter young man but he isn't homicidal. In this fic, at least. Onigumo's the bad guy :D! I've become…A Naraku fan girl! Disgusting, huh xD? To call him a 'good guy' would be somewhat incorrect, so all I'm going to say is that he's going to 'play' for Inuyasha's team. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this update. I know it's quite weird, but I needed a way to get Naraku directly into the swing of things without making him a student. Well, initially he was going to be a student. But because I screwed up and used someone as a teacher that I shouldn't have….…'Kay, time for me to shut up now. Anyway, next chapter shall contain M/S fluff! Yay! Oh, one more thing. My new goal is 150 reviews ^-^, so…  
  
Please Review!


	16. An Impromptu Break

"Are you sure this is okay?" She asked, for what must have been the umpteenth time. She couldn't help but feel anxious. This was, after all, the first time she had ever ditched class before. Hell, she'd never even _considered_ it before, despite her extreme aversion to school. And with Miroku? She must have been in desperate need of a break. 

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It was okay the first time you asked, and the third, and the ninth, and the forty-eighth…"

"Okay!" She interrupted, subjecting him to the full wrath of her patented glare. "I get your point."

"Besides," He shrugged loftily. "Even if it wasn't, it's a little too late to be having second thoughts."

"I know, I know," She sighed. "It's just that…"

"Kuranosuke?" Miroku offered, looking slightly irate.

Making a distinct effort to avert her gaze, Sango nodded. "Who knows what he might think?"

Miroku could barely contain a wicked smile. **_Let _**him think, he thought rather viciously. Out loud, he just sighed. "Look, I'll take you back if you want,"

"No!" She hadn't intended to sound so desperate. "I mean, it's alright."

His bangs hid the knowing twinkle in his eyes. "This is your first time," He noted, with a smirk.

"W-what?" She stuttered. "What are you talking about?"

He laughed at her poor attempt at playing it cool. "Cutting class, of course," He exclaimed, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"So what?" All traces of embarrassment gone, she felt a familiar anger welling up within her. "That's something I'm proud of!"

"I didn't mean to make you mad…" He murmured. "I was only teasing." He stared at her a moment, nodding before turning away, completely missing her expression as it softened. 

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Sango seized the moment and turned to contemplating her situation. Just why had she asked -- no, begged -- Miroku to take her away? Surely, what she had overheard was disturbing, but by no means traumatizing. She had just felt the need to be whisked away from it all. Again, her choice of companions rose several questions deep within the catacombs of her mind. 

__

Her strides were long and her movements frantic; the raven-haired beauty weaved in and out of the various school hallways, hoping -- praying, even -- to locate Miroku before the bell rang. Never once did it occur to her that she could simply whip out her cell phone and reach Kuranosuke, possibly before he even left for his next class. 

Her search carried her through almost every wing in the large school, leaving her both discouraged and out of breath. Just as she was about to give up and retreat in hopes of stumbling across a water fountain, she rounded a corner and promptly ran into the very man she had been looking for. 

Head reeling from the collision, she dropped to her knees and groaned. He was at her side in an instant, ignoring his belongings even as they skidded down the hall. Gently clapping a heavy hand on her shoulder, he lowered his head so as to get a better look at her. "Are you alright?" He anxiously inquired.

She didn't answer right away, opting instead to wait until her wits were gathered. When she finally spoke, she looked at him with pleading eyes. "H-Houshi-sama…"

Now he was concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I think I overheard something I wasn't supposed to…" She hadn't meant to come across so desperate, but the magnitude of what she had heard was finally catching up to her. 

He glanced sharply at her. "What?"

And so she had explained what had transpired between Yura-sensei and Naraku behind closed doors. Miroku had seemed more troubled than she, calming only when he discovered she had not revealed herself, opting instead to abandon her folder in search of him. _Wait_. The young man blinked. _In search of 'him'_? _As in **he**_? 

While she was lost in her thoughts, he took the time to regard her carefully. She had an independent air about her, this much was clear. But when the rare chance to observe her so closely arose, a certain vulnerable side would often crop up. Just like now. She looked so lost, so out there. He wondered if it was intentional -- in the sense that it was a natural reaction -- or if she just slipped into the depressed mode. He hoped the latter was not the case. 

Sango seemed to have finally broken free of her stupor. "What time is it?" She quite suddenly inquired. 

He glanced at his wristwatch. "Almost one-o-clock," He replied. "Say…You hungry?"

Sango cast him a curious look. "But we just had lunch not even a half an hour ago," She reminded him.

"I know," He shrugged, in a rather off-hand matter. "But you were supposed to come to work 'after school', right? It'd be kind of moot point to drop you off so you could get your bike and then force you to cycle there. So I was thinking, we make a quick run to the school, grab your bike and hightail it to the Shoppe. As I'm not only the manager but the owner, I think it'd be alright if we had a sundae or so on the house," His grin was sly.

She laughed at his expression and it didn't take her very long to cave in and agree. All-in-all, it took them only about twenty minutes to arrive at their final destination. "Might as well get changed now," He stated cheerily, after unlocking the door and flipping on the lights. She nodded absently and wandered off behind the counter in the general direction of the employee lounge while Miroku began turning on appliances.

In a few minutes, Sango re-entered the main area, fully garbed in her uniform. Miroku bobbed his head at her in acknowledgement and went off to change himself. When he returned, the two of them stood back and surveyed the massive set of cases. Turning to her, that sly grin reappearing, he raised a brow and casually inquired, "Shall we?"

This time she returned his grin. It was rather infectious. She supposed once one got to know the lunkhead better, he wasn't actually so bad. Both of them sidled up to the counter from behind. Miroku reached over to pluck two cups and handed her one of them, which she gratefully accepted. "Well," He began, as he groped for a nearby set of scoopers, also handing her one. Throwing back the case, he added, "Help yourself,"

He made a reach towards the chocolate chip cookie dough while she made a grab for the banana. The two dished themselves out healthy portions of the sweet confection. As they came up from their bending position, both accidentally bumped heads.

Sango's brain was crying out from all the abuse it had taken that day, while Miroku looked rather star-struck and brought a tentative finger to his mouth. Had that been her lips?

****

A/N: Bah. I loathe this chapter. The beginning is fine, the _very_ end is fine, but the middle sucks. The descriptions felt so tedious. Oh well, it's an update, I suppose. Wow, though! Ten reviews for one chapter. I feel spoiled. Let's hope we can continue that pattern, wink-wink. As I mentioned last chapter, my new goal is 150 reviews, so please leave one (or two ;D). That being said…

Please Review!


	17. Apples and Bananas

"Mmm…" Sango gave a dreamy sort of sigh, leaning back against him. "That was some good ice cream."

"Mmhmm," Miroku agreed, looking dreamy for entirely different reasons.

The two were perched atop the main counter, back-to-back. At first it had just been Miroku up there, content to gaze down upon the girl he loved, who had parked herself on the small folding chair near the door to the employee's room. However, she'd soon decided her seat was a tad uncomfortable, and had innocently gotten up and pulled herself up into the empty space beside Miroku. After a few minutes had passed, Sango decided this was just as uncomfortable. So, in an effort to rectify this, she had taken it upon herself to lean back against him. He'd tensed at first, but had eventually relaxed against her, enjoying the moment for all it was worth.

The raven-haired man reached behind him to set his cup aside, much like Sango had done moments earlier. When he retracted his hand, he realized that he had not properly leaned the spoon against the side, for he heard the clatter it made when it hit the counter, courtesy of the aforementioned cup, which had tipped over due to unequal weight distribution.

Sighing inwardly, he twisted his arm so as to snatch the bowl and spoon back up. When his fingers curled around something warm and very smooth, he saw that Sango had went to pick it up as well. A strange sound came from her direction, as if her very breath had hitched…

He sat there in a stupor for several minutes, Sango's lithe hand encased in his own. Neither of them moved another inch during this exchange, until Miroku finally came to his sense and yanked his hand away. "Sorry," He muttered, cheeks burning with embarrassment. He found, however, that he did not feel very sorry at all.

"It's okay," She flushed as well, though there was no way he could know this, having not been facing her at the time. "You didn't know…"

He began to absently roll his bottom lip back and forth between his teeth. Sheer nervousness prompted this old habit, but he was forced to quit when he felt the delicate skin grow raw from his harsher nips. It briefly struck him as odd that she hadn't pulled away sooner and slipped right off the counter and away from him, but the most negative aspects of his mind pushed this slightly inspiring thought to the backburner in favor of a more depressing one. Such as how anxious she had sounded, a sure indicator that she hated him and thought him the worst kind of scum.

Her sweet, lilting voice startled him from his morbid contemplation. "It's almost time to open up shop, you know."

"Is it now?" His voice was somewhat husky, as his mouth had gone dry on account of their lack of conversation. A glanced at his watch proved her words true. This had only served to further startle him. He had been so absorbed in his self-depreciation that he hadn't even realized how much time had passed. The two of them had been sitting up there for nearly a half-an-hour after they finished eating. This gave his spirit's a tiny lift; she hadn't been so repulsed by him that she'd put miles of distance between them the moment she could get away with it.

She swallowed. Hard. "Yeah…" Had she been forced to say more than that, her voice just might have cracked. While she knew she should be berating herself for letting herself get so worked up over one simple touch and one simple exchange of dialogue, she couldn't help but smile at the flutter in her chest.

__

Really, now. What am I, one of those giggling school-girls with their first crush? Sango, my girl, you **do** have a boyfriend…A very hot one, at that. Don't let silly hormones trick you out of something great and wonderful. Miroku is handsome, yes, but just because one good-looking guy expresses interest doesn't mean you leap into his arms. Drop-of-the-hat romance rarely turns out well, you know that. Besides, he's a bit of a charmer. Who knows if he's truly interested or if he's just out for a quick lay. You saw how he acted when you first met him. Sure, he was just trying to get a rise out of you, and sure, you know he's not **really** like that, but don't kid yourself into thinking you know anything about him.

It was at this point she realized she was rambling. She had to turn around abruptly when she saw the concerned way in which he as looking at her, though. Lest she fall into his trap and do something she would regret. Because if he kept looking so adorably lost and confused like that, she didn't think she would be able to muster up what it would take to keep herself from leaping at him and snogging him senseless.

The jingling of the bell above the door distracted both of them. Luckily, they had no longer been sitting atop the counter when their customer came in. They kicked off what was sure to be a long and trying afternoon with their most patient smiles, cheerfully greeting a young mother and her two small children.

When they left, it was awhile before they had anymore customers, but the two of them got to work on opposite areas of the store. Sango took to mopping the backroom and Miroku made a sweep of the main area, making sure everything was completely spick and span.

When closing time finally came, Sango wasted no time hopping onto her bike and pedaling away. She had called a hasty goodbye as she sped out the door, not catching the hurt expression crossing her companion's face. And here he'd been so sure that things were going alright--if a tad uncomfortable--between them. Goes to show what he knew. He'd been right earlier; she definitely was no longer interested in hanging out with him.

His chest heaved in the makings of a sigh, his generally twinkling azure orbs having lost their loveable luster, now dull like two plain stones. It was all he could do to not stomp over to his car and just race away and never look back. A part of him realized that he was acting childish, though, and he managed to calm down enough to drive home, complete his homework, and fall asleep.

That night, he dreamt of bananas.

****

A/N: Long time without an update, I know. Odd how I manage to fall behind during the summer but get right back on track when school rolls around. You'd think it was the other way around. I'm not happy with how this ended, but I want to post it _now_ and not wait until I come home for the day. Thank heavens for late-start Wednesdays or you wouldn't have this at all.

Please Review!


	18. Beauty in the Breakdown

Shippou was frowning by the time Miroku finished accounting for his afternoon. "You were so close, too!" He groaned, slapping his knee in disappointment.

Miroku looked at him, surprised. "What do you mean? It wasn't like we were about to kiss or anything like that."

Shippou's expression morphed into a cheeky grin. "That's not the point," He insisted, shaking his coppery mane free from its restraints. His patience with the situation was exaggerated; in reality, he was feeling quite irate. What he did not know was that, in a sense, Miroku was lying. While he and Sango had not shared a kiss in the traditional sense--Sango hadn't even been aware that it'd happened--their lips _did_ briefly brush that afternoon. "The point is the fact that you got somewhere with her today. For some reason or other, she sought _you_ out. Not her lunkhead of a boyfriend, Kuranosuke…_You. _That's _got _to count for _something_, eh?"

Miroku sighed, hoping against hope that this was true, but knowing that it wasn't and never would be. "C'mon, guys," He choked out, reaching for his drumsticks. "Are we going to practice or what?"

A cough sounded from off to the side of the room, where InuYasha lay sprawled out on Shippou's bed. "Can't," He informed them gruffly, his voice denoting a hint of anxiousness. "Got a date tonight."

Both Shippou and Miroku looked startled by this revelation. "Really?" Shippou pressed, a curious gleam in his eyes. Miroku chose not to comment, just glad to be off the hook for the moment. "With who? Do we know her? Does she go to our school? Is she ho--"

InuYasha slammed his soda can down on Shippou's nightstand, looking thoroughly annoyed. "Look," He ground out, voice rising considerably. "Not that it's any of your _business_--" He took special care to emphasize that word--"But no, you don't know her, and no, she doesn't go to our school. As for how good-looking she is…Need I remind you that you have a girlfriend?"

Shippou flushed a bit at that last part, looking for all the world like the kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Sorry," He sputtered sheepishly. "I was just curious, that's all."

"Sure," Miroku grunted, cutting in before things took a turn for the worse. "So, what's up, then? Are me and Shippou still supposed to practice?" He was not all that opposed to losing himself to the music that night.

InuYasha looked thoughtful. "No," He decided. "You too take the night off for once. Wouldn't be exactly fair to make you practice now."

Miroku and Shippou exchanged glances. The raven-haired young man felt a yawn coming on and knew what he'd be doing a lot of that night. "Well, then. If you don't mind too terribly, I'm going to go home and catch some Z's or something."

Shippou shrugged and InuYasha merely nodded. "Sure, go right ahead."

Bidding both his friends goodbye, Miroku clamored down the stairs and out of the house. Before he reached his vehicle, however, he spotted Kagome curled up on the porch next door, looking absolutely miserable. It was only then that he realized she had not shown up for work that day. Suitably concerned, he took it upon himself to march right over and investigate. He knew from experience that despite how one might claim otherwise, it was always a great thing to have company when down.

"Hey," He greeted her softly, leaning heavily against the railing.

She couldn't even bring herself to look up at him. "Leave me alone, Miroku…Please, I just want to be by myself for awhile..."

"The lady doth protest too much," Miroku quoted in a teasing manner, gently pressing his chin atop his folded arms. "Besides," He gave a nonchalant shrug. "If you were all that interested in hiding yourself away from the world, you'd be up in your room brooding instead of moping around out here where the first asshole that comes along--" Here he offered her a grin--"Can bother you."

She snorted, but slowly lifted her head so that he could see her face. The area around her eyes was puffy and red from crying. "Yes, well, now that I know I'm quite capable of attracting assholes, I guess I can put an end to this little experiment…"

"Haha," Miroku laughed dryly, smiling brightly anyway, just glad to have chased away some of the gloom.

"Well, you started it with that comment of yours," She smirked for a moment. "So, what brings you into the neighborhood…You and Shippou planning on wreaking some havoc on some unsuspecting innocents?"

He dug out his drumsticks, waving them in front of her for a moment, looking quite amused. "Band practice, remember?"

A queer expression made itself visible on Kagome's face, and she appeared to stiffen. "So," She began, quietly, feeling very much shy. "InuYasha's in there?" She gave a nod at Shippou's house, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah. Getting ready for some hot date," He responded, realizing too late that this was the wrong thing to say.

"I see," She muttered dejectedly, slumping down in her seat. "So it's true, then…"

"Err," Miroku blinked, suddenly quite confused. "What was that?"

"Nothing," She insisted, perhaps a little _too_ quickly. "Nothing at all."

"Right, gotcha'," Miroku's eyes narrowed and his tone implied otherwise, but he wisely did not pursue the matter. "So, anyway, what's up? Besides depressing yourself, that is."

"Nothing," She repeated, sighing and shifting slightly. "Bored out of my mind, to tell you the truth. What about you?"

"Same," He casually replied, thinking fast. Whatever was going on involved InuYasha, that was for sure. It was clear that Kagome wasn't going to be spilling the beans anytime soon. If he was going to find out what was going on--and hopefully rectify the matter--he was going to have to take matters into his own hands. "I was just going to go home and get some extra sleep, but I'd feel bad about leaving such a pretty young thing such as yourself all alone…" A wink. "Why don't you come along with me and grab a bite to eat? You look like you could do to gain a pound or two."

At first, he thought she was going to decline, perhaps misinterpreting his friendly gesture for something else entirely. But, to his delight, she hastily agreed. They decided to change out of their school clothes and meet back up in a half an hour. While it was by no means a date, neither particularly fancied the idea of tramping around town in the same grubby clothes they'd worn all day.

It was about seven-o-clock when Miroku found himself knocking on Kagome's front door. A smile accompanied by a casual compliment on her chosen outfit was just the thing to set her spirits on high. They made their way to his Hummer, making pleasant conversation on their ride into town. Deciding on someplace that was just a tad fancier than a burger joint, they quickly narrowed down their choices. He didn't have his heart set on any particular place, but Kagome hadn't been too keen on many of the places he had suggested. She brightened considerably at the mention of Chile's, however. As he had no objections to this, that is where the ended up.

A quick glance around the place revealed that it was the place of choice that evening. To say that it was packed would be a total understatement. On regular intervals, it would seem, a massive crowd of people would swarm out, freeing up many tables. Therefore, despite how busy they were, there was not that long of a wait.

They were seated at a cozy little table for two, nestled away in the wall. Kagome, he noticed, was regularly craning her neck to get a good look around. He suspected this had more to do with the patrons than the interesting décor, but he wasn't going to be the one to say anything. Whatever she was up to was her game. He just out to eat a meal in pleasant company. If she wanted to spy on the booth two rows over…

_Wait,_ he blinked. _That was it…_

Despite himself, he slowly turned his head, gazing over the barrier with all the discretion he could muster together. His eyes widened at the sight. InuYasha was plopped down at a booth, directly across from…Kikyou? For certain, that spelled trouble. Upon further inspection, however, Kikyou did not appear too thrilled. In fact, he noted, she kept glancing towards the bathrooms, as if expecting someone. This all made sense on his third look, when he spotted Sesshoumaru weaving his way back to the table. His fifth look revealed the poorly disguised malice between the two brothers, and his eighth look revealed something different entirely; Sango and Kuranosuke sat nearby, too wrapped up in their own little world to even notice what was going on directly across from them.

As amazing as it was, he forgot all about the two of them when he caught sight of InuYasha leaning over the table and pulling Kikyou into what appeared to be a searing kiss. His own blood boiled at his friend's audacity, and he fought the urge to march right over and clock him upside the head. Sesshoumaru had it covered, after all…Making a scene would only serve to further embarrass the accosted couple.

A glance at Kagome's stricken face changed his mind, however. Growling, he chased after the two half-brothers, who were heading outside, murderous looks on both of their faces. Storming right up to InuYasha, he beat Sesshoumaru to the punch, literally. His fist connected with his friend's jaw, sending the generally sure-footed young man staggering backwards. "Damn it, Miroku! What the hell was that for?" He snapped.

Sesshoumaru frowned, and shook his head at Miroku, but the raven-haired teen would not back down. Ignoring him, Miroku gave InuYasha no such chance to recover, immediately delivering another resounding blow to his face, this one on the opposite side. "You're such a bastard!" Miroku hissed. "Not only do you try to force yourself on your own brother's girlfriend, but you boast about it beforehand?"

InuYasha gritted his teeth, hands flying to his face to clutch at his aching face. He looked like he was about to shoot back some nasty retort or other, but his expression turned into one of horror as he gazed right passed his attacker, looking rather as if a ghost was staring back at him.

Miroku scowled, folding his arms across his chest. He heard footsteps coming up to him from behind, and gave in and turned around when he saw that Sesshoumaru was also looking with amazement at whoever it was that was approaching. His own surprise barely had time to register as a pair of soft lips connected with his own.

His eyes had closed on instinct, but he found himself growing curious when whoever it was that he was kissing gave a little whimper. Allowing them to flutter open, he nearly recoiled when he found himself staring back into Kagome's brown eyes, darkened with both confusion and desire. He tried to pull away, but she would not allow him to do so. About to forcefully disconnect from her fierce hold, something within him stirred. Groaning softly himself, his brain began to shut down as he himself deepened their kiss. Nibbling on Kagome's lower lip, his tongue sought entrance to the forbidden sanctuary that was her mouth.

Before their spittle-slickened appendages could wage war, however, he heard a gasp come from behind him. Pulling away reluctantly, he found himself staring at the last person he wanted to be seeing at the moment, Sango. She looked decidedly crestfallen, eyes locked onto his like that, as he struggled to regain his breath. Tearing her gaze away, she turned onto her heels and ran back into the restaurant. Miroku thought he'd heard from her a faint, "How could you?"

Stumbling over his own two feet, he saw Sesshoumaru giving him a disapproving look. InuYasha was bearing the strangest expression, his face somehow mirroring Sango's. Kikyou, who had apparently come out as well, looked mildly disappointed. Kagome had turned a bright red, clearly embarrassed by her display. Grabbing Miroku's hand, she dragged him off to the Hummer; still somewhat dazed, he was glad that they hadn't gotten around to ordering.

Feeling a pair of smoldering orbs fixated on his retreating figure, he closed his own, so desperately unsure of himself. He unlocked both of the doors and clumsily pulled himself up into his seat. After the two of them were buckled in, doors closed and locked, he went to key the ignition when a somewhat clammy hand landed atop his own, pushing his arm away from the steering wheel. He sent her an imploring look, but she did not respond with words.

Rather, her mouth was attacking his with a fervor he had never before seen in anyone. A whine of panic made itself known in the back of his mind, but like before, he found himself responding in kind. He leaned over the cumbersome piece of plastic separating the two of them, slender hands holding her chin before sliding up to cup her cheeks. This time, with nothing to stop them, their kiss did progress into something far more intimate. The sweet, velvet cavity of her mouth willingly engulfed his own, and their tongues met, tentative at first, despite their increasing boldness. Soon, however, the two were nearly writhing against one another. Panting heavily, he pulled away for a moment, eyes hooded with untamed lust, before diving right back in.

Sango…Who was that?

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A/N: Ahem. I'd say it's about time for me to lay down in my own coffin right about now. Did anyone bring some nails? I'll be needing them, I can tell. Before you come hunting me down with pointy sticks, just know that was probably more painful for me to write than it was for you to read. That's about all I have to say for now. It's time for reviewer responses, which I haven't done in forever. I wouldn't have done them this time, either, but there were a few things to address and it wouldn't be fair to respond to only a couple.

B4By K4K45h1: I noticed that, too. You're the reason I got off my lazy bum and updated.

Izayoi: You don't always have to start off the next chapter from _exactly_ where the last one left off…

Elsiey: Danke. Means a lot.

Sango's Counterpart: I can't give that away! You silly. Thanks for the review, though.

Divine-Red-Crayon: Well, I wasn't expecting everyone to catch that. It's just that in the chapter before that, Sango had chosen to eat banana-flavored ice cream…Get it now? Oh, what part of Arizona were you in?

Taishoku Kurayami: Glad to hear your day went so well, and that I had a part in it.

SangoLancer200: Thanks a bunch for helping me get there. You're the only one that recognized that I'd reached it. My new goal is obviously 200, hehe.

DarkHeartKeyblade: Really? How strange…

Aamalie: You're probably even more disappointed now…But at least this chapter is long, eh?

Kitten Kisses: Thanks! Here's a huge, teaser of a chapter to whet your appetite. Thanks for the compliments, they made me smile.

Zimfry23: Glad I've gotten another fan, and even gladder that you're really seeming to enjoy it.

Please Review!


	19. Calm Before the Storm

No sooner had he thought those words did he come to deeply regret them. "Kagome," He rasped, disentangling himself from her. Miroku just wanted to come right out and say what he was thinking--that what had just transpired was just plain wrong--but that didn't even begin to cut it. Quite suddenly, he felt like vomiting. He had not been the one to initiate it, either of the two times, but he hadn't done anything to stop it. Rather, he'd welcomed it as sweet reprieve from his own problems. He had a hunch that the same was true for Kagome, which was the only reason he hadn't turned on her and started screaming. That and the fact that he was anything but a hypocrite.

Her bangs had fallen into her face sometime during the exchange, preventing him from reading her expression. His hands reached out to brush them away, and she flinched at the contact. "Kagome," He repeated, this time firm. Though he'd anything but recovered, he could already tell that he was going to have to be the strong one here. "Look at me," He commanded, softly, and was pleased to see that she did so. "There's no denying that there was…something there in that first kiss. In the second, too, for that matter. But Kagome--"

"I know," She suddenly interrupted, sounding eerily calm. "It was a mistake…Probably _the_ single, biggest mistake that I've ever made. Please, I don't want to talk about it…"

He frowned at that, his forehead wrinkling. "You sure like running from your problems," He remarked, sounding a little more bitter than he'd intended to. When he received no answer, he sighed, leaning back in his seat. "I'm guessing you just want to go home? No? Alright. Let's go get you something to eat, then."

She placed her fingers on his arm, sliding them slowly to grip his wrist. They were as cold as death, and he turned to her at once, confusion in his eyes. "I don't deserve your concern," She whispered, with a shake of her head.

His expression softened, and his free hand swooped down to engulf hers in its warmth. "Maybe not," He admitted. "But you're getting it."

She went to sniffle and a hiccup escaped instead. Smiling weakly, she pulled her hand from his, reaching up to rub the bottom of her nose. "I'm sorry… It's because of me that you didn't get any dinner."

"Never mind that," He responded briskly, keying the ignition. "You just think about what you've got a taste for, alright?"

She nodded slowly, resting her cheek upon the cool glass, staring straight ahead. "Okay."

They rode along in silence. After awhile, he spared her a glance and was startled to find her regarding him intensely. "Yes?" He asked, sounding wary.

She flushed. "It's just that I've decided… What I want to eat, that is."

He could not explain why he felt considerably relieved by simple--and, he chastised himself, expected--words. Perhaps it was because he was not yet ready to broach the subject he had feared she'd been about to bring up. "Oh."

She smiled brightly at him for what seemed like the first time in a long, long while. "Don't sound so thrilled," She gathered the courage to tease him. "Anyway, I think I could go for some noodles."

"Ramen it is," He smirked at her changing expression, knowing full and well that wasn't what she meant. "I think there's a cart somewhere around here, too…"

Fully expecting her to vehemently protest, he was startled by her wayward shrug. "Alright."

"Alright?" He repeated, a little incredulous.

"Yeah," She returned, defiantly. "Alright."

Finally, he shrugged. If that's what she really wanted… "Let's go, then."

He parked the car where it would be safe and they wandered down the sidewalk a little ways, to where the cart in question was located. The owner took their orders eagerly as the two of them sat down atop the quaint stools.

Promptly served, the two began to shovel their cheap meal down. Presently, Kagome ventured to inquire, "Miroku? You… You _like_ Sango, right?"

"Of course I like her," He grunted, pretending not to catch her meaning. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"That's not what I asked and you know it," She growled, setting her chopsticks down.

He fixed her with what he hoped was a blank stare. "I have no idea what you're on about," He insisted, sniffing rather primly. "Your food's getting cold."

She ignored his rather pitiful attempts at changing the subject, though she did once more begin to eat. She also ignored all further attempts at civil conversation, choosing instead glare at him. He fidgeted uncomfortably at this, until he had no choice but to respond. "Maybe," He muttered, dully.

"What was that?" She batted her lashes at him, tone bittersweet and syrupy.

It was his turn to growl. "Maybe I do. Like her, that is."

She dropped the act at once, immediately somber. "She likes you too."

"Yeah, right," He snorted, quickly forcing down the hope which had welled up in his chest at her words. "She's much too wrapped up in Kuranosuke to spare me a passing thought."

She did not respond for a moment, and he found himself feeling smug, however much the admission that he and Sango would never be. "Then why was she so upset when we… you know?"

He choked back a strangled little noise. There _was_ that… "Please," He scoffed, shakily at first. "She probably thought I was taking advantage of you for my own gain."

Kagome bit her lip, frustrated. "Or," She suggested. "She was upset because she was jealous that another girl was kissing you? And even more jealous when she realized that you were… Enjoying it?"

"Shut up!" He roared, attracting several stares from passersby. "You don't know what you're talking about, Kagome!" Anger spent, he sucked in his next lungful of air with a distinct shudder. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet. Placing the exact amount he owed atop the counter, he resigned to staring at his feet and massaging his pounding temples.

After what seemed like an eternity, he felt a hand on his shoulders. "I'm done."

He nodded slowly, still feeling like sulking. "I'll take you home, then."

With a sigh, she consented to this. The two of them walked back to his car, the once comfortable silence awkward. He turned on the radio out of habit, though neither of them seemed to be paying much attention to the soothing jazz music filtering through the interior of the vehicle. "We're here," She suddenly announced, when they'd rolled to a stop at the end of her driveway.

Noting her relieved expression, he heaved a sigh. "No," He shook his head with a sad sort of smile, one which didn't reach his eyes . "We're still going to talk about that other part, if that's what you're thinking. I'd just prefer it to wait. You know. Until work. We're not the only ones who need to sit down and have a serious discussion."

She nodded slowly, understanding his meaning. "Alright," She bid him a quiet goodnight.

He waited until she'd made it inside before driving off.

* * *

**  
A/N**: Since I'm liable to get roasted alive if I put this off any longer, here's a short chapter to get you rabid fiends off my back until I can get the next big scandal out. Trust me, if you wanted me dead before, you'll _really_ be wanting to kill me. I promise, though. Make it through the next chapter and you're home free. But I'm out of here for now, before I get skewered for that unnecessary plot scheme. Since I'm liable to get roasted alive if I put this off any longer, here's a short chapter to get you rabid fiends off my back until I can get the next big scandal out. Trust me, if you wanted me dead before, you'll be wanting to kill me. I promise, though. Make it through the next chapter and you're home free. But I'm out of here for now, before I get skewered for that unnecessary plot scheme. 

Please Review!


	20. Kamikaze

"Sango…" Kuranosuke's sweet, lilting voice interrupted her muddled thoughts, bringing her jolting back into reality. "Is something the matter? You've been acting sort of distant since you came back inside…"

She bit her lip, wondering briefly as to whether or not she should tell him. But she knew that doing so probably wouldn't be such a good idea, given his track record with the other young man. He'd surely jump the gun and believe her to be jealous. She paused to consider this. Well, wasn't she? No, she decided, after giving it a moment more of thought. She wasn't jealous--just concerned. "I'm fine," She assured him, reaching under the table and giving his hand a light squeeze. He smiled at this and the subject was dropped.

At that memory, the faintest of smiles curled her lips. Her fingers, currently clutching at the ends of the pillow case, tightened instinctively, drawing the fabric closer. A contented sigh escaped her, and she snuggled down further underneath the warm blankets.

Vision largely obstructed by tousled raven bangs, she lifted her head in order to catch sight of Kuranosuke, who was padding down the hall. "Sure your folks won't mind?" He grinned, settling himself down on the window seat, turning his gaze on the evening sky.

"Mmm?" She mumbled, blinking the sleep fully from her eyes. "Oh, yeah. They're out of town, still. Kohaku's spending the night at his friend's house, like I told you. He'll call my cell if there's a problem."

"I'm sorry," He said quietly, laughing at her exasperated tone. "I worry, that's all."

"I know," She sighed, struggling to sit up.

He was at her side in an instant. "You don't look so well," He intoned, frowning slightly.

"I'm fine," She insisted, shaking her head. "I'm just… Worried, too."

"About what?" He pressed, seating himself beside her, where she'd scooted over to make room.

She inhaled sharply before continuing. "About Kagome."

"Kagome, eh?" Kuranosuke's brows fused together in thought. "She's _still_ pining away after InuYasha, then? One would have thought she'd have moved on by now."

Sango's face turned bright red at that last part. "You make it sound so horrible!" She snapped, to cover her initial reaction.

He looked taken aback by her quick flare of temper. "I didn't mean anything by it," He whispered, tentatively reaching out to brush several strands of hair from her shoulders.

She groaned, appalled by her own actions. As if the wind had been knocked out of her, she slumped over, leaning heavily against him. "I know… I'm sorry, it's just…"

"Sssh," He soothed, tilting his head a little ways so he could lightly pepper kisses across her jaw line. "Let me…"

She loathed the way her body responded to his touch.

He gently took hold of both of her arms, carefully easing her down onto the mattress. He softly tugged at her hair binding, causing her silken strands to come loose in a single, billowing motion, only to fan out across the cream-colored sheets. "…Love you," He finished, hands going under her shirt, brushing across the smooth skin of her stomach, gradually creeping upwards.

"No!" She said suddenly, a little more sharply than she'd intended, even given the circumstances. "Please, no."

Kuranosuke--looking both hurt and confused--swiftly complied. Placing one last, gentle kiss upon her forehead, he rolled off of her, head hitting the pillow next to hers with a resonating thud.

She sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, groping around on the nightstand for her keys. "I… I'm sorry. I can't stay here. Not tonight."

He sighed, although he acquiesced, getting up as well, hunting down his robe. "I'll take you home," He assured her.

She relaxed some, realizing that she was not going to be forced into doing anything that she didn't want to. "I'm sorry," She repeated. "I'm sorry." 

He ran a hand through his hair. "Not your fault," He murmured. "I shouldn't have…"

"No," She interrupted him, wrapping her own arms about her torso. Even in her jeans and shirt, she felt exposed before him, somehow. "Don't. It _was_ my fault, let's just leave it at that."

"Right," He answered, gruffly. "Ready, then?"

She merely nodded. At the moment, all she wanted to do was go home, where she'd be safe… In her own bed.

The two of them walked silently out of the sprawling manor and to his car. She hesitated a moment before climbing into the passenger seat. Was she really making the right choice? Was she really doing the right thing when she'd led him on like that, having practically begged him to…

She rested her head against the cool glass window, staring out at the night sky for guidance. Her gaze, inevitably, strayed to the moon. Her confusion turned to shock as she saw, looking down at her from the grainy, crater-filled surface the very same thing she'd seen staring at her from Kuranosuke's lidded eyes as he'd begun the process of making love to her. Miroku's stern reflection.

Perhaps that is why she asked him to do what he had in the first place… And why she'd let it go on as long as it had…

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**  
A/N**: In a way, you people are lucky. What you see here is far from my original intentions. I'd been planning--and for quite some time, I must admit--on leaving another dreadful cliffhanger here, which would have left you thinking Kuranosuke and Sango had 'done the deed'. Hmm… Maybe _I'm_ the lucky one. I could do without more danger. 

Anyway, the revelation that they had not had sex was supposed to be totally different from how it is here. As I was writing, the new part just came to me. And when I realized just how much more poignant it would be this way, I changed my plans. Besides, this new ending holds a sort of delicious irony, don't you think? Sango thinking of the one she shouldn't want to be with when she's with the one she should. Compare that with Miroku's actions a chapter or so back… And you'll find them even more shameful.

So now I can rest easy for awhile, without having to worry about any of you forming some sort of sick and twisted head-hunting party. As we're now officially entering the second stage of this fic, rest assured that the climax will be coming soon. Though whether it'll be another jaw-dropper or a complete doozy remains to be seen.

Oh, wait… Just realized I better do this… As I'm sure some of you all have noticed, some of the chapter titles come from names of songs, or snippets of songs. And I think I only credited one of them here. So I shall do the rest.

Chapter 13 (Suspended on Silver Wings): Sweetbox's "1,000 Words"

Chapter 14 (Cinnamon Lips): OK Go's "C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips"

Chapter 15 (Panic Bells, It's Red Alert): Nena's "99 Red Balloons"

Chapter 18 (Beauty in the Breakdown): Frou Frou's ( 3) "Let Go"

This chapter, 20 (Welcome to the Fallout): Switchfoot's "Dare You To Move"

Haven't done Reviewer Responses in awhile, so I guess I should catch up on the ones that need answering. Though most of these should have been included last chapter…

Zimfry: Yes, I do watch Wolf's Rain when I get the chance. I'm not a _huge_ fan, mostly because the episodes I've seen have been out of order, and thus, I'm a little confused. That doesn't stop me from being a huge fan of Blue, however! P.S. I liked obsessed fans. They make me feel loved.

Aamalie: Thanks so much for all of your support! I know you don't feel like you helped me with that last chapter like you wanted to, but just talking with you seems to have done the trick! Too bad you sort of blackmailed me into telling you about this chapter… But I switched it around anyway, so no sweat.

Elsiey: A member of my 'adoring public' who's _not_ after my head? One who, furthermore, _enjoyed_ my insidious little twist? Oh, wow. I think I feel a tear coming on… Take me home with you? I fit well into compact spaces, I promise. Ugh. One of _those_, I'd have to gouge out my eyes with my blending stick. Which won't be happening, as I desperately need it, as I otherwise suck at shading. So no worries.

Divine-Red-Crayon: OK Go is 'teh sex'. You should have seen me back when I was obsessed with 'Get Over It'. For awhile it was the only song on my play list… And I had it on repeat. Perhaps that explains why my brain is so twisted. Though my favorite song by them is actually 'The Fix Is In'. Anyway, you better watch your back in upcoming chapters. Who knows what else I'll get you addicted to.

DarkHeartKeyblade: Alas, bananas are my least favorite fruit insert tragic childhood memory here. I'm rather partial to peaches. Although I am fond of _certain_ banana-flavored things. Though I deeply despise how I always falter when typing out the word banana. You'd think I couldn't spell. Anyway. You _dream_ about bananas? Should I be concerned?

Sorry for the monstrous Author's Note.

Psst. Everyone must go out and get addicted to Frou Frou.

Please Review!


	21. Mistakes That You Never Made

His fingers wandered aimlessly over the strings of his guitar, plucking a few random chords whenever it suited his fancy. Lying flat on his back, staring up at his ceiling with a blank look on his face, he was quite sure he'd hit rock bottom. Images of her anguished expression flashed through his troubled mind at an alarming speed, prompting him to roll over and bite the corner of his pillow in a half-hearted attempt to choke back his bitter moan. He'd really messed things up, and he knew it. Now that he was all alone— completely and utterly, he miserably reminded himself— he felt no need to maintain his carefully crafted façade.

No matter how much less complicated it would make his life, he simply could not afford to invest any emotional energy into Kagome's more light-hearted suggestion. Because he simply knew that it was not true. Sango barely tolerated his presence as a friend; there was no way on her earth that she did— or ever would— like him in _that _sort of way.

In a certain sense, it would have been better _had_ Kagome meant something by her kiss. Perhaps then he would have actually had the will to attempt a relationship with someone who was not _her_, that violently pretty young woman who had captured his wayward heart. It would have been easier to deal with InuYasha's wrath— not that he had any right to be mad, what with the way he was still relentlessly pursuing the object of his older brother's affections— than Sango's tears.

Not that she had actually cried, he forcibly reminded himself. No, she didn't care _that_ much. And in a way, he was glad. He wouldn't want to be responsible for causing her such sorrow; he'd caused her enough as it stood..

He was, quite frankly, dreading the next morning. Morning meant leaving the sanctuary of his nice, warm bed and going to school. And going to school meant having to deal with… well, _everyone_. Which was something he was not looking forward to in the slightest.

Releasing the breath he had not known that he'd been holding, he resumed his idle strumming. After awhile, he grew weary of his toneless concoction and began to concentrate on the melody that had been clawing at his brain since early that afternoon. A few moments of additional tweaking rendered it entirely compatible with the lyrics he had composed some time ago.

"_Our scene begins as the telephone rings, she chokes a gasp at the awful news it brings. Phone call she's been avoiding. She knows he's reached the end_," He nearly sighed, eyes which normally shone a bright shade of azure now clouded and hazy, an endless storm of moody gray.

"_Hooked up to the respirator, it breathes life into my calloused lungs. My heartbeat's getting fainter, you know my time has come_…" He trailed off a moment, wincing as the underlying implications of that statement hit uncomfortably close to home. While not dying in a literal sense, he felt his desire to exist in a social environment slowly ebbing away. As evidenced by his earlier trepidation, he would much rather hole up inside his house and remain there until everyone forgot about him and vice-versa.

"_It's getting colder, been trying to show her, that I'm not the one, to be there beside her. Now I'm crossing over, can no one console her? Alone she'll remain, with no way to end this pain_," He softly crooned, in scarcely more than a whisper, train of thought taking a sharp turn and heading back the way it'd come. The only one left with whom she could talk the situation over with was Kuranosuke, who he rather doubted would be sympathetic to her plight this time around, as he'd probably choose to grow jealous and surly and only end up further distressing her. In the past, it was he who had been Sango's confident. The good friend on whom she could rely on, confide in. But he'd taken her trust and shattered it with his own indiscretion. "_Now I realize, the things that I, the things that I have done to you. Why, you gave your love with all your heart— with all that a heart can give_."

He caught his breath before the next strain of words came, knowing that the potency of their deliverance would leave him huffing, otherwise. "_Intentions that you'll never know, the reason why I had to lead astray. I gave you a lifetime of pain and remorse, mistakes that were never yours; the wrong in my life can never be right, it flashes before my eyes_," He finished that particular stanza with a rueful sort of smile, shaking his head at the irony of it all. This was, perhaps, why this particular collection of words had popped into his mind when he'd been bemoaning his horrible luck.

"_How did it come to this?_" He softly lamented, voice quivering as he spoke the next lines with certain clarity."_His mind is working harder than ever before, a thousand thoughts in seconds. His last thoughts were of her, and how he and he alone had destroyed the once vibrant spirit he had coveted so deeply_," He winced at this, once more struck by the relevance of what he solemnly recited. "_The last pain he ever causes the only woman who ever loved him_."

"_Bright light is calling me upward; I follow and leave you below_," He resumed his soulful ballad, the quivering having evolved into full-blown trembling. Somewhat shakily, he finished the song. "_Now you're all alone, I leave you with nobody by your side. Not to hurt you ever again, never break your spirit for me. Now I'm all alone, still I cherish the things that you've given me. Bright light is calling me upward, I follow and leave you below_."

When at last his breathing evened out, he gently set his instrument aside and wept.

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A/N**: Apologies for the wait, all. I wrote and re-wrote this chapter so many times, I'm not even sure where it all begins and ends anymore. All I know is that the very first time I heard this song, "Things Aren't So Beautiful (Part 2)" by A Thorn For Every Heart, I knew that it was perfect and that I had to use it. The chapter title is, of course, a line from this same song. This chapter was supposed to feature a song in it to begin with, as I need more practice before the 'big finale' (meaning the concert), but before my friend introduced me to this one, I just kept stumbling from one to the next, looking for the right one. Thank God for friends, huh? Anyway, tell me what you think about the chapter, or especially the song if you downloaded it. 

Oh, and just in case you're confused about Miroku's usage of a guitar instead of his standard keyboard: I believe I mentioned awhile back in the actual context of the story that they could all play the guitar, he just generally preferred the keyboard. I had him use one here because he couldn't very well lay on his back on his bed and play his keyboard at the same time. Well… I suppose he _could_, if he really wanted to, but that might take more of an effort than he's willing to put into anything at this point in time.

Please Review!


	22. The Ties That Bind

Sango was quite convinced that should the room grow any colder, they would be entering the next ice age. She sat, legs crossed, upon a small bench in the employee lounge. Miroku had greeted her at the door, solemn-faced, and requested that she remain in here until he came back. That had been fifteen minutes ago, and he had yet to return.

She shifted, visibly uncomfortable. The temperature was doing nothing to alleviate her apprehension. In fact, it was making it much, much worse. Biting her lip, it was all Sango could do to keep from issuing a moan of despair.

Several more minutes passed, until at last the door swung open with a leaden bang. A very disgruntled-looking InuYasha wandered in. He shot Sango a curious look, but said nothing. The door fell closed once more, and again, silence descended upon the room.

Every once in awhile, dark brown would meet bright gold. The stare would be held for several seconds before one or the other would avert their gaze. Just as InuYasha was opening his mouth to say something, two other figures entered the room: Sesshoumaru and Kikyou.

InuYasha promptly shut his mouth, turning his head to the side, folding his arms neatly across his chest. A small snort escaped Sesshoumaru, but no other sound was made.

Finally, Miroku made his return. Flanked by none other than Kagome, he strode forward into the room. No one spoke, and he appeared mildly pleased by this. "Now, then," He took the initiative, voice thick with an unidentifiable emotion. "It has come to my attention… That a once fairly tightly-knit group of friends is going through a rough patch, brought on by misunderstandings and mistrust. So… One of those friends decided to get everyone together and set things straight once and for all, because he is _thoroughly_ discontent with everything that has happened. However, I am not going to force anyone into this conversation. So, if any of you aren't ready or willing enough to get your act together and stop acting like children, it would probably be for the best if you left now."

Not one of them moved. Miroku gave a faint smile of approval.

"Now, the way I see it, this is nothing more than a confliction of interests. Each of you are expecting too much from one person, and are then growing angry when you're disappointed with how things turn out. You may say it's not fair— but you know what? Life isn't fair. You're not always going to get what you want, and it's time you learned to deal with that.

"InuYasha. You are the main instigator here, whether you know it or not. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that this entire debacle is entirely your fault. You are jealous of your brother, and this has caused a gaping rift in your relationship with him. You act as if he stole Kikyou right out from under your nose. But that cannot be so, because she was never yours to begin with. You relentlessly pursue her despite blatant rejection of your advances, even going so far as to cause a scene in a _very_ public place. Furthermore, you lash out at most everyone who tries to get close to Kagome. Take Kouga, for example. You have no claim on her, and yet your actions suggest otherwise. But how can you string Kagome along as if you like her, but continue to lavish your affections upon another woman? Therein lies your problem, InuYasha. Will you continue to chase after a phantom— the ghost of a love that will never be? Or will you finally start living in the real world with the rest of us, accept defeat— and move on with your life?"

InuYasha's face remained stony and impassive. Upon closer inspection, it would appear that he was trembling with rage. For a single, dreadful moment, it seemed as if he would snap to his feet and violently lash out at his accuser. To everyone's relief, however, he kept himself planted firmly in his seat.

Miroku felt a strange wave of satisfaction crash over him. InuYasha was angry, no doubt, but his sullen compliance with Miroku's will, even after receiving such a scolding, indicated an overall acceptance of his part in the scheme of things. If he could convince even the hot-tempered InuYasha to listen to what he had to say, than perhaps there was more hope left than he'd initially thought.

"Kagome," The weary manager shifted on his feet so that he was now facing the girl in question. "Your part in this had been relatively small until… recently. You sat back and took your lumps without complaint, even when it was killing you inside to do so. But you'd had just about enough, hadn't you? You were sick of playing the role of the caring, supportive friend. Seeing the extent of InuYasha's determination to be with Kikyou crushed you. It was, pardon the cliché, the straw that broke the camel's back. And like hell you were going to pass up the chance to force feed him a taste of his own medicine. You used me to get your revenge, never once considering the consequences of your actions. Never taking it into account that I had feelings, too. So what about it, Kagome? Will you continue to be so arrogant as to think you're the only one with problems? Will this selfishness continue until you have driven away all of your friends, and you're left with no one? Or will you, too, open your eyes to the real world, of which you are not the center?"

Something stirred at the edge of his gaze. Turning his head, he was surprised to see that it was Sango. She was merely stretching her legs, he noted, but he might as well move onto her now that she had captured his attention.

"And you, Sango," His smooth tone began again, as he arched an eyebrow in her direction. "One would think that you have no place here. This is, after all, none of your concern, now is it? Nobody made a move on your man," Here his voice cracked, but he quickly composed himself. "And you haven't yet managed to alienate anybody here, to the best of my knowledge. So why have I asked you to come, to hear this all? Surely you must have some idea?"

All eyes were suddenly on her.

"No," She whispered weakly, staring down at her knees.

Miroku's expression softened considerably. "I think you do," He gently disagreed. "I think you were upset for many reasons, Sango. Perhaps you came out when you did, only to misinterpret what you saw? Did it not cross your mind that perhaps lecherous, old Miroku was taking advantage of your dear, sweet friend? Or did you then notice that my attentions were not forced, and grow angry with me for fueling her desire to create an escape for herself? I've no doubt you'd caught hints of Kagome's depression," He informed her shocked face. "Or that you ignored them in favor of your own problems. It would seem that I must once more impress upon you all the simplest of facts— the world does not revolve around you. You have no right to get upset over the way anybody copes if you yourself are too otherwise engaged to help them find another way."

"As for you two," Miroku turned to give the couple a wry sort of smile. "Neither of you have done enough to warrant individual rants, but don't let that get you too happy. I've still got my share to say to the both of you. Sesshoumaru, you may have thought yourself the better in your little bout of sibling rivalry, but please, do think again. Your arrogance over the matter was simply a different form of cowardice. Next time the two of you are at arms over a matter, take the initiative. Don't wait for things to spiral out of control before you confront him. The same goes for you, Kikyou. Sometimes, you are much too kind for your own good. Your desire to spare InuYasha's feelings as best you could made you much too passive. Passiveness can be taken advantage of, as you've learned much too late. At this point in time, whatever you could have said to him would have been a much kinder ending than this."

The dark-haired man heaved a sigh. "I've said all that— and more. I'm sure by now you think me a hypocrite. But before I let you all go and leave you to your own devices, I must say my own piece. For truly, I am every bit as much to blame here as any one of you. I let my own sorrows cloud my judgment. I failed to knock some sense into certain persons before things got out of hand. I've lied to myself, and therefore, to you all. I've been arrogant and self-centered in my own right, and for that, I would like to say sorry. I haven't been a very good friend lately, and I'd really like that to change."

InuYasha was looking at him with what could only be described as muted disbelief. Kagome had moved to sit beside Sango; her head was now resting on the other girl's shoulder in a half-apologetic, half-affectionate manner. Sango herself was biting her lip, in a half-hearted effort not to smile. Sesshoumaru and Kikyou stood a good distance apart, each lost in thought.

Miroku now sported an exhausted— yet decidedly triumphant— expression. Looks like things could go back to normal between them, after all.

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A/N**: I'm sure this is the type of chapter that you either absolutely love, or you absolutely hate. I hope many more of you would incline to agree with the former than the latter, but I'm sure I managed to displease someone out there. But you know what? I don't really care. This chapter needed to be written in a gritty, confrontational style… And if the end result is making Miroku the biggest windbag— no pun intended— in the history of fan fiction, then so be it. However, I do hope the end result was enough to keep the majority of you interested. In any case, do tell me what you think? 

Please Review!


	23. It's a Hit

Standing on an elevated platform in front of several hundred teenagers was probably not the best of times to develop stage fright, Miroku reflected.

It was the night of their big event; the weeks leading up to it had passed in a blur. As he took a seat behind his monstrous drum set, he allowed his gaze to wander out over the audience. Predictably, it fell on Sango. How could they not have? He'd been keeping tabs on her since she'd walked in the door. Strangely enough, she was alone. He was not quite sure what to make of this fact.

He cast a nervous look at Shippou; he could see the boy silently mouthing the lyrics to the first song they would perform. Reaching back into his bag for his bottle of water, he took a giant swig. Ten minutes until show time.

In preparation, he forced his breath to still— the lights dimmed, and he continued on in this manner until they flickered back on again, to highlight InuYasha on the stage. The silver-haired man cleared his throat and spoke a few words of introduction. When he turned his head, he could see Kagome waiting offside with baited breath. He caught her eyes and smiled; she shot him a goofy grin. Heartened, he turned his attention back on his bandmates.

Shippou was speaking, now. Drawing a lot of laughs, from the looks of it. He would have loved to listen. He couldn't quite hear the tiny boy— the incessant ringing in his ears seemed to block out the here and now.

But suddenly, all eyes were on him, and he was jolted quite abruptly back into the reality of their situation. Apparently, he was supposed to say a few words, himself. There was a long, embarrassing pause as he floundered for his water bottle. It was with a healthy flush that he was finally able to address the crowd.

"I'd like to thank the school for allowing this to happen. Everyone has to start somewhere, you know? And tonight's _my_ night, I suppose. The three songs we have for you all tonight are all of my own composition. I was careful in selecting not only the ones which best showcase my talent, but the ones that really meant something to me. So I hope that as you listen, you'll be able to emphasize with them. Perhaps even take a little bit of them with you tonight as you leave."

To his surprise, his speech was met with scattered cheers and applause. Some still looked skeptical, but he did his best to ignore them as he readjusted the placement of his microphone and turned to InuYasha for his cue. It happened all at once, and he felt a little thrill course through him as he suddenly blurted out, "_And today was a day just like any other._"

There was a sudden explosion of music, and he felt the panic which had begun to seize hold of him just moments before slowly start to slip away.

"_I'm on the verge, I'm on the verge. Unraveling with every word,_" Shippou sang with earnest, a boyish gleam in his gaze. "_With every word you say, make me believe. That I won't feel your tires on the street. As I'm finding the words… You're getting away!_"

Sometimes, though, he feared he got a little too involved with the meanings behind the lyrics of his songs. It was all he could do to keep the shakiness from his tone. "_I come undone, oh yes, I do. Just think of all the thoughts wasted on you. And every word you say, say something sweet, 'cause all I taste is blood between my teeth. As I'm finding the words… You're getting away!_"

Originally, the chorus had been designed with all three of them in mind: a perfect blend of all their voices. That had been the case, at least, until the first time he'd heard InuYasha belt it out in solo. The raw passion the other could invoke with these simple lines had simply floored him. "_Well, I'm ready. Ready to drop. Oh, I'm ready, I'm ready so don't stop. I'm ready, ready so don't stop. Keep pushing, I'm ready to fall. Oh, I'm ready, I'm ready, so don't call. I'm ready so don't call._"

And it was back to Shippou for the last remaining bit of normalcy. Miroku held back a snort as the fresh-faced young man all but beamed out at the crowd, ready to grace them with his own distinct interpretation. "_I am aware, I've been misled. I disconnect my heart, my head. Don't wanna' recognize when things go bad; the things that you'll accept, except that I am finding the words… To say…_"

Miroku tensed inwardly, counting down as InuYasha once more chimed in, "_I'm ready, I'm ready to drop. Oh, I'm ready. I'm ready so don't stop, I'm ready, so don't stop._"

This was it. The pivotal inspiration for the song, delivered in beautiful narrative. "_I wake up to find it's another four-aspirin morning, and I dive in. I put on the same clothes I wore yesterday. When did society decide that we had to change and wash a tee-shirt after every individual use? If it's not dirty, I'm going to wear it. I take the stairs to my car, and there's fog on the windows._"

"_I'm fighting the words,_" Shippou softly broke in.

"_I need caffeine in my bloodstream; I take caffeine in the bloodstream. I grip the wheel, and all at once, I realize…_"

"_And you're getting away._" Once more, a subtle interruption.

He sucked in a deep breath, preparing to deliver his final line: "_My life has become a boring pop song and everyone's singing along._"

"_Well, I'm ready, to drop. Well, I'm ready. I'm ready, so don't stop, oh. Well, keep pushing, I'm ready to fall. Well I'm ready, I'm ready so don't call. I'm ready so don't call…_"

The applause was thunderous. Whatever fear he had left in him instantly dissipated. He eagerly looked in the direction he'd last seen Sango. His heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach as he watched Kuranosuke sidle up from behind.

He scarcely had time to bemoan this turn of events when InuYasha struck the beginning chords of their next piece. His forehead creased and he was forced to look away.

"_There's a war inside of me, do I cause new heartbreak to write a new broken song?_" He quipped, in as playful a voice as he could muster. "_Do I push it down or let it run me right into the ground?_"

"_I feel like I wouldn't like me, if I met me,_" Shippou adopted a tone of lamentation.

"_Well, I can't stop talking for fear of listening to unwelcome sound. And you haven't called me in weeks, and honestly, it's bringing me down,_" InuYasha skillfully echoed the sentiment, sounding wonderfully sulky.

"_I feel like, I wouldn't like me, if I met me; I feel like, you wouldn't like me, if you met me,_" Miroku murmured, feeling a small twinge of guilt at his reaction. Their group talk had been some time ago, and as much as he hated it, Sango had every right to date who she pleased…

"_And don't you worry, there's still time,_" The three of them smoothly issued as one.

"_There's nothing to live for when I'm sleeping alone,_" Shippou winced, having nearly missed his line. "_And I wash the windows outside in hopes that the glare will bring you around._"

"_Sunshine is days away, I won't be saved,_" InuYasha's grin was accented by a particularly vigorous strum of his guitar. The beat to this song was bursting with infectious energy. "_I know all the words._"

"_I can't say that I'll love you forever,_" Miroku finished with a thoughtful hum. "_I won't say that I'll love you forever._"

Again, they were met with a burst of applause. He could not stop himself from peering in her direction once more. This time, he was met with a different sort of surprise. Not only had Kuranosuke disappeared, but Sango was conspicuously absent as well.

Had the two of them gone off together? Had they just up and left during the middle of the show? Though sick at heart, he had no choice but to press on. It was their final song, after all. Surely he could put aside his feelings for the sake of their performance. It wouldn't do to get weepy about it.

"_The world was on fire, no one could save me but you,_" InuYasha opened, his voice taking on an unusually dreamy quality. "_Strange what desire will make foolish people do._"

"_I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you,_" Shippou added, in a hushed murmur. "_I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you._"

"_No, I don't wanna' fall in love,_" Miroku languidly drew out the words, hoping to calm his raging nerves. "_This world is only gonna' break your heart._"

"_No, I don't wanna' fall in love,"_ InuYasha did his best to replicate the other's exact pitch. "_This world is only gonna' break your heart._"

"_With you, with you,_" Shippou mused, venturing closer to the edge of the stage. After plenty of searching of his own, he had finally spotted Kirara.

"_What a wicked thing to play, to make me feel this way,_" Miroku cursed his wandering mind. Like Shippou before, he had almost missed his line. He couldn't help it, though— he'd spotted the double doors swing open out of the corner of his eye. "_What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you._"

InuYasha, who had been keeping on his toes so as not to commit the same folly, quickly added, "_What a wicked thing to say, you never felt that way. What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you._"

The three of them made it through the rest of the song without incident, much to Miroku's intense relief. It was only as he gave the last line, "_Nobody loves no one,_" that he dared to glance up again.

Sango had taken Kagome's place by the side of the stage, her face shining with emotion. Kuranosuke was nowhere to be seen. Miroku noticed, with muted fascination, the bags under her eyes. She looked tired, and yet… Strangely happy. More happy than he'd seen in a long while, actually.

He could barely hear himself think over the roar of people. Abandoning his seat, he motioned for her to join him. Hesitantly, she complied.

"So, what did you think?" He had to shout over the noise.

"You were brilliant!" She returned, and he felt himself swell with pride.

"Do you really think so?" He giddily demanded, thoroughly swept up in the moment.

"Of course!" She punched him lightly on the shoulder, arms reaching to encircle his sturdy frame.

He stiffened at her touch, deeply confused b y this sudden display of affection. Foolishly, he inquired, "Where's Kuranosuke?"

It was her turn to balk, although she made a swift recovery. Not particularly wanting to announce this next bit to the general populace, she gently yanked him down so they might speak eye-to-eye. Her warm breath trickled against his chin, and a shiver ran down his spine.

"Miroku, I broke up with him."

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A/N**: I'm well aware of the time that's gone by since my last update. There is no need to admonish me for this hiatus, because I will not apologize. I will, however, say sorry for its unexpectedness. To be honest, I have little will to finish this. I still adore the characters, but I've lost my zest for the series as a whole. I've officially begun to devote my time to Bleach, a new love, and Battle Royale, an old favorite. So with the exception of one last unposted piece, you will probably never see another InuYasha fanfic from me again— which is sort of a shame, because I know I can offer you all much better than this piece of crap. In any case, I will at least _attempt_ to finish this, one day. I should hope that's fair enough for you. But I think that's already more than needs to be said on the subject. 

This chapter is features the following music;  
"I'm Ready" by Jack's Mannequin  
"You Wouldn't Like Me" by Tegan & Sara  
"Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak

The chapter title was inspired by;  
"It's a Hit" by Rilo Kiley

Please Review!


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